A Heart as Pure as Jade
by UNCLE SAM THE MAN
Summary: After the defeat of Jindiao, Jade Tusk has had time to reflect on her actions. As she does so, she finds that she is developing feelings for her fellow water deer, Huifang. As time passes, those feelings are soon returned. Jade Tusk/Huifang pairing, Rated M for blood, death, angst, and sexual themes.
1. Forgiveness

High in the mountains of Ancient China, there was a secret village. This village was known to very few. The few who did know, where its inhabitants, the pandas. The few others who knew were dear friends.

Over the years, the pandas had faced many hardships; persecution and slaughter by a crazed peacock, terror and agony from a chi hungry yak, and, just recently, pain and destruction from a power mad dragon. The most recent event left the village in a state of much needed repairs. But, the pandas had received help from an unlikely source; the former followers of the fire-breather, which were the water deer of the Poison Clan. Over the many weeks following the attack, the doe monks had assisted the pandas in rebuilding. But for some, the scars of their master's betrayal still lingered.

In a hut, set near the edges of the village, a lone water deer sat meditating in the middle of the small living space. Said deer was the FORMER lieutenant of Dragon Master Jindiao, and leader of the Poison Clan with the loss of the tyrant dragon that oh-so-loved to abuse them verbally, physically, and, his most favorite, telepathically, with her taking a majority of the onslaught for her countless "failures."

The water deer's name is Jade Tusk, although she felt that Jade was simple enough and less formal. Her left tusk, as her name suggested, was made of pure Jade, which glimmered in the ray of sunshine peeking through the window blinds. Her red training vest lay on a chair in the corner, leaving her upper body totally exposed to the air save for her chest bindings. However, her mind was not on the physicality of her being, but rather the internal struggle within her.

"I meant nothing to him." Words that she realized only too late, were very true. Jade felt like such a fool. To think, she actually believed that Jindiao, her master, the one who found her as a fawn, the one she had devoted her life too, cared for her. All the years she spent training under him, molding herself into the perfect follower, were for nothing. Even when she began to form her own doubts, she actually let herself believe that the mock concern he showed for her when she was being held hostage by that ribbon dancing panda, was genuine. But she was wrong. The blast he gave off was more powerful than any punch any opponent could through at her, for it came from someone she trusted. Not just that, but someone she was willing to die for, as evident when they were buried in the avalanche caused by the angry, little girl panda. And not to mention someone she would willingly execute her own clan "failures" for. That last thought, though, brought about even more pain.

She had allowed members of her clan, her companions, her SISTERS, to be executed because they had, as Jindiao put it, "failed their master." At the time, she felt nothing of it; their cries for mercy fell on all-but-deaf ears, for all that mattered was her master's approval. But, after learning the hard, very painful way, as evident by the bruises on her abdomen, which she tenderly caressed with her hoof, what the former Dragon Master's true thoughts of her and her clan were, the thought of her clan sisters cries for mercy, only to be followed by silence, began to ring at full volume in her ears, and weigh heavy on her heart. And that's when it came to her, the one clan member who she had used as a punching bag so often since her arrival.

Jade had always wondered why Jindiao showed the ever bumbling Huifang **(wEE-fAHng) **the amount of mercy some of his other followers prayed for. Most of the time, Huifang's antics resulted in harsh glares or verbal signs of annoyance. Jade even voiced her curiosity at one point, for most who annoyed the red vulture-disguised dragon were normally thrown into a seemingly bottomless pit, and that's if he didn't drain their chi first.

"Her uncle works for the Emperor."

Short, simple, and confusing. Why worry about the Emperor when he, the Great Dragon Master, was about to achieve all the power he could ever want. But, she never questioned it any further; it was not her place. Despite having this bit of information, Jade always grew frustrated with the ditzy deer's antics, such as asking questions at inappropriate times, looking for her "lucky sea-shell", and being amazed at the panda children's abilities.

Standing up from her meditation position, the emerald toothed deer limped over to the window. Peeking through the blinds, she saw the activities occurring outside. Throughout the village her clan sisters where helping the Panda's rebuild their village after the battle with Jindiao, you now, when the pandas weren't sleeping or eating. Some were assisting in patching up roofs, others cleaning debris, and some were taking a brief lunch break, being provided with fresh noodle soup and dumplings by Dragon Master Po's goose father, who, out of his own sense of generosity, knocked the price down ten percent.

But one stood out among the rest; Huifang was standing with her forehead against a pole, eyes covered, and appeared to mumbling something. Before Jade could even begin to fully ponder what was going on, Huifang's head shot up.

"READY OR NOT, HEAR I COME!"

Upon seeing the other deer move to a stack of crates, Jade automatically knew what was going on as soon as the boisterous doe reached into one of the crates and pulled out a giggling panda cub; they were engaged in a game of hide and seek. Jade couldn't help but let a small smile tug on her face, and release a small huff of amusement, at the site of Huifang offering a form of distraction for the young pandas as their parents worked.

Since the battle for the village, she had grown to accept her bumbling colleague's bubbly, albeit ditzy, personality, accompanied by her childlike innocence, which is probably what, as Jade observed, made her such an excellent babysitter. In fact, the doe's childish nature reminded Jade of Dragon Master Po's personality, whom the former had actually formed a close bond with.

Soon the smile on Jades face faded, as she reminded herself of how cruelly she treated the young deer. Limping back to the center of the room, Jade returned to her meditative position. But, try as she might, she could not calm her mind enough to slip back into the deep sleep-like state that was mediation. Nearly fifteen minutes went by, and the more she thought of the pain she had caused, as well as received, the more she fell into a deep state of despair. As this occurred, tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she held them back. That is until…

"HEY JADE!"

Jade nearly fell over in surprise as the deer who was just playing outside with the panda cubs came bursting into her temporary residence, bolstering a huge, toothy smile on her face.

"You wanna come to pond with us?! I was gonna teach some of the kiddies how to swim!" The doe exclaimed, clearly excited about the idea.

All Jade could do was stare at the doe before her. How, after everything she had put her through, could Huifang still treat her with such kindness and respect. She should hate her, resent her, make her suffer the same as she had. However, Jade reminded herself that Huifang could not hurt anyone, or anything; try as she might. Instead, she still treated the emerald tusked doe with the love, kindness, and respect she and Jindiao had deprived her of. Something she did not deserve from anyone.

Unable to hold back anymore, Jade allowed the tears building in her eyes to fall freely down her face, while bringing it into her hooves. Her shoulders began to violently shake as she began to release pained sobs of agony. She soon brought her arms down, and wrapped herself in an embrace of self-loathing. Believing she had done something wrong, Huifang ran to Jade's side, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Jade," she began softly, "I know I should have knocked first. So stupid." She finished her sentence by hitting her forehead repeatedly with her clenched, free hand.

"No," Jade managed to choke out as she continued to cry, "I-it's n-not that-t…"

Listening to herself, Jade could only cringe. _Pathetic, _she thought. _How could Huifang respect someone who weeps like a newborn fawn? You are weak. _

"I d-don't…" but she couldn't finish, as her previous thoughts of self-doubt weighed heavy on her. Bringing her knees to her chest, she brought her head down and cried into her knees. Huifang, still trying to provide comfort to her leader, tried to think of what could be making her so upset. Realization dawned on her quickly.

"Ooohhh, I get it," she said. Jade, confused, pulled her face away from her knees and looked up to the doe who had a knowing smile on her face. "YOU DONT KNOW HOW TO SWIM!" she cried out. Jade's demeanor quickly changed from sorrowful to annoyed, which went completely unnoticed by her companion. "It's cool, I can teach you. It's really not that hard when you get the general idea…"

"NO!" cried out Jade, who, at this point, made her annoyance well known to the other doe by slamming her hoof down on the floor and sending a menacing glare. Huifang's ear's quickly fell flat on her head and, learning quickly from being in Jindiao's presence, mimed closing a zipper across her mouth and turning an imaginary key to lock it when it became very clear he wanted her to stop speaking. After a few moments of intense staring, she cast down her eyes as she clutched one hand to her chest with the other. Quickly rising from her current position, she began to move toward the door. Jade's heart heaved at the sight of the hurt doe leaving the hut; she didn't want her to leave. After a moment of hesitance, she spoke.

"I don't deserve your kindness." That made Huifang stop dead in her tracks. Looking behind her, the now timid doe looked into the tear filled eyes of a broken water deer. Eyes once filled with a stone-cold gaze, were now filled with heartbreak; and HER heart went out to the broken doe.

Jade expected to see resentment, or disgust on the face of the doe she had just shown such weakness to. Instead she saw her face melt into a warm smile, and her eyes fill with love and compassion. Jade lowered her head and cast her gaze to the floor. As more tears began to fall from her eyes, she felt two hands cup her face, lifting it so she was face-to-face with Huifang.

"You deserve to be happy," said the comforting doe as she used her thumbs to wipe away the tears. The wide eyed clan leader was then brought into a comforting embrace. One arm encircled her, as the other brought a hand down to rest on her head, which pulled it close to the chest of the warmhearted deer before her. Soon, Jade began to relax as the steady heartbeat of her sister calmed her. The sobs had stopped, but the tears kept flowing through her closed eyes.

"How can you forgive me, Huifang," inquired Jade, "after everything I have done to you?" And there it was; the question she had been bottling up, was now out in the open. Looking up, she saw the deer's expression change into that of nonchalance.

"Oh, is that what this about," she finally chimed. "Don't worry about it. My uncle always told me not to let anything get me down. And boy was he right. I mean, stressing about something that is never gonna really matter is such a bummer. Forgive and forget, am I right?" Placing her head back on her companion's chest, Jade smiled a small smile, realizing that the deer she had abused in the past, had already forgiven her. But her mind still remained troubled.

"But there must be something I can do," she said. "Something to show how genuinely sorry I am for what I have done to you and everyone else. I mean, I blindly followed Jindiao, only to find out, I meant nothing to him." Soon, she began to release more tears, after remembering everything in her time with the tyrant dragon, was a lie.

"You mean something to me," responded Huifang.

"I do?" replied Jade.

"Yeah," continued Huifang, "you are an awesome fighter, a great leader, and totally hardcore. You are just the most awesome person I know." Jade was at a loss for words. She had released herself from the embrace of her companion, and actually smiled a full smile, not to the point where it reached ear to ear, but enough to let others know it was there. As Jade basked in the warm feeling given to her, Huifang was hit with a brilliant, in her mind, idea.

"Hey!" she yelled, making Jade jump and look at the deer, "you said you wanted to do the right thing, right?" Jade just slowly nodded her head, with an inquisitive look on her face. "Well you can start by being my friend." Jade was speechless, but after a few seconds of deep thought, she finally spoke.

"WE are not friends, Huifang," responded Jade, with the cold face the young doe had grown used to. Huifang's ears slowly flatted against her head once again, and her eyes were downcast. But what she heard next made her ears perk upright, and her eyes twinkle.

"WE are sisters." Looking up, Huifang was met with warm eyes and a gentle smile. Jade was then enveloped into a tight embrace as Huifang wrapped her arms around her new sister's middle and nuzzled her head underneath her chin. Jade then felt her tunic become wet. It wasn't until she looked down that she saw that Huifang was crying tears, not of sorrow, but of joy. Regaining her composure, Jade returned the embrace, wrapping her arms around the joyful doe, and letting tears of her own fall from her eyes as she rested her head gently on top of Huifang's. A few minutes into their sisterly embrace, Huifang remembered why she had sought out Jade.

"OH!" She shouted, raising her head so quickly it bumped into Jade's chin. "Do you still wanna go swimming?" She inquired as she rubbed her head. After massaging her now sore jaw, Jade looked at Huifang with eyes full of curiosity and, the latter couldn't be sure but suspected, hesitance.

"I suppose," replied Jade, with a bit of reluctance, "On one condition."

"What's that?" inquired the other doe.

"Let's just say, I actually do need a teacher." Responded the sheepish cervine.

"Well then, as my first act as your sister, I shall teach you the Art of Swimming," Huifang proclaimed in a regal-like voice. "It'll be so Fun!" she finished in her normal voice. Jade let out a soft giggle as her sister took her hoof, and led her out of the hut to join the group of panda children waiting to go to the pond. As they started walking, they passed by many pandas, as well as water deer. The pandas waved at Jade, offering large smiles and hearty greetings, while her followers simply bowed, but also offered bright smiles to their leader. It was then that Jade realized something.

_Maybe I didn't mean anything to Jindiao, but know I know I mean something to the people that matter._ And, for the first time in years, Jade felt at peace, knowing she had found the people who meant most to HER.


	2. Water

_ Come on you coward. What is wrong with you?! It's just water; simple, liquid water. What could go wrong? _It had only been an hour since she had her heart to heart with Huifang, but Jade, was faced with another dilemma; swimming lessons. Jade couldn't believe it; she had been the top student, as well as second-in-command, of Jindiao, able to take any hit that came her way. Now, she felt like a helpless fawn who needed help in something so trivial that a, well, fawn could do it with relative ease.

But, after being offered to be taught by Huifang, her friend who she could now openly call her sister, in a platonic way, to join in the swim lessons of some of the panda cubs from the village, did she realize how ill equipped she was in the topic. Heck, she was twenty-seven, and she still didn't know how to swim. I mean, she knew basic steps like treading and doggy paddling from her time as a fawn, but nothing too advanced. But the real reason was a traumatic event from her childhood.**  
**

To say she was embarrassed after telling Huifang that she wasn't a strong swimmer and needed further lessons was an understatement; she was so embarrassed that the blush had shown through the fur on her face. Heck, she and her clan where water deer; the name pretty much makes it obvious that they thrive near water. But, much to her surprise, and utter relief, Huifang didn't laugh, but instead offered to teach her new sister some of the advanced lessons in swimming.

But that still didn't quell her anxiety; not about swimming, but what her fellow clan members would think of her. They needed someone strong, who could do anything. What would they think of her if they knew that she was a weak swimmer? But, those worries were quelled after Huifang had informed her that other members lacked the ability, and were also offered lessons by the bubbly deer. Jade even recalled at one point from the other day when she saw Huifang teaching some of their clan sisters the basic steps of swimming. She realized she was overthinking things, but that still didn't ease her mind about the possible jeers she was certain she would receive.

"WE'RE HERE!"

The sudden outburst from Huifang snapped Jade out of her thoughts; they had arrived at the shallow pond that was located behind the village. At the edge of the pond were a small group of panda cubs, ranging from 4-7 years of age. Among them, to Jade's surprise, was the "weird, angry panda," herself; Jing. Next to Jing was the new, de facto leader of the Four Constellations; Nu Hai.

Huifang had told Jade that the two adolescent pandas were her teaching assistants for the day. At that moment, Jade thought, _Forget the clan, that angry little brat is going to torment me relentlessly._ Approaching the group, Huifang let go of Jade's hoof, which the former had been holding since she dragged the latter out of her hut. The loss of the comforting feeling caused Jade to slightly panic; yes, she was actually getting scared at the moment. Approaching the group, Huifang began to speak;

"OK KIDS! Today we are going to start with some pretty basic stuff. And once you guys get the hang of it, we're gonna get to the hardcore lessons." She ended in low, edgy voice. Jing, along with some of the other cubs, were fist pumping the air and cheering. The others, who were standing nearer Nu Hai, expressed openly what Jade was feeling on the inside; anxiety. Noticing the emerald toothed cervine for the first time since she arrived, Jing decided to engage the deer in her own twisted version of small-talk.

"What's up, Fungus Bite?" she jeered at the leader of the Poison Clan.

"Nothing much, Short Fuse," Jade jeered back.

This started an intense stare down between the two, which caught the attention of the nearby group. Many of the group held their breath as they didn't know where the "small talk" was going to go. As Huifang was about to step forward to diffuse the situation, Nu Hai held her back, with a knowing smile on her face. Soon, the stare down came to an end as Jade cracked a small smile, releasing a small chuckle, earning the same reaction from Jing. Soon, the panda and water deer were laughing harder than their respective friends had ever seen them laugh before. Jing then held out a paw to Jade for a fist bump.

"We still cool?" she asked. Still wearing her smile, Jade returned the gesture.

"Yeah, we're still cool," she replied. It had only been a short time since the fight with Jindiao, but Jing and Jade had developed a strong relationship that contained a lot of friendly banter. This strange friendship, as Nu Hai thought, probably started after Jing used White Tiger's qi to heal Jade after Jindiao's betrayal. Jade even thanked Jing for the kind gesture with a staff she had carved herself in the days after the battle with the former Dragon Master. Now, they were the best of friends.

Upon seeing that the situation was under control, Huifang instructed everyone to go to change into their swim wear. As the cubs left, Jade realized that in her rush to get to the pond, she forgot that she had no swim wear of her own. Looking behind her, Huifang noticed her friend's hesitance, and realized right away what was happening. Walking up to Jade, Huifang handed her a spare satchel she had with the one she brought.

"Yeah, Sorry Jade," she apologized. "I totally forgot that you probably didn't have anything to wear. Good thing I brought extra for me." Upon handing the bag to Jade, Huifang turned to walk toward a secluded area to change. Looking into the satchel, Jade took note of the white cloth towel, more than likely to dry off with, as well as the dark colored, clothe chest wrappings, and matching clothe swimming shorts.

Upon finding a secluded area for herself, Jade began to discard red vest that she had put on prior to leaving with Huifang, as well as her usual training pants. As she was changing, Jade felt a new wave of anxiety wash over her, but pushed it aside. After changing, Jade walked out of the tent to notice the children were in similarly colored swimming attire; the males in dark clothe swim trunks, and the girls, including Nu Hai and Jing, in swimming shorts and chest wrappings.

Looking to Huifang, Jade noticed she was wearing the same attire she and the other girls were. Wrappings that bound her chest tightly, and skin tight swim shorts. Both articles allowed Jade to take in the slender, appealing frame that was Huifang's, dare she say, sexy body…

Shaking her head clear of these thoughts, Jade walked toward the group. Upon seeing Jade walk up to the group, Huifang's eyes widened at the slender, and surprisingly, curvaceous, doe before her, so much so that her mouth was slightly agape. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Jade cleared her throat. The action succeeded in snapping Huifang out of her thoughts, leading her to return her attention to the cubs before her.

"Okay guys, Jing and Nu Hai are gonna lead you through the simple stuff, while I help Jade out with some advanced lessons," She announced.

Jing actually couldn't believe her ears; the Great Jade Tusk, was getting swimming lessons from her bumbling teammate. Upon hearing the muffled giggles coming from the young Panda, Jade turned her head to give a hard glare at the amused cub. Upon catching the hateful gaze from the cervine, Nu Hai elbowed her friend in the side to get her to stop. Quickly catching on, the still giggling panda helped chorale the cubs to the pond as Huifang took Jades hands in her own, and began walking backwards, leading the latter to the same body of water.

As Huifang started stepping into the water, Jade was soon starting to become overwhelmed with the same anxiety she felt before. As soon as her foot touched the water, horrid memories from her childhood came rushing back, making her eyes go wide in terror, and breathing accelerate. With lightning speed, Jade withdrew her hands from Huifang's, and bolted away from the pond, being out of sight in seconds.

Taking a few seconds to overcome the feeling of shock the reaction of Jade had given her, Huifang noticed the confused and concerned face of Nu Hai. Even Jing had a look of concern. The cubs, on the other hand, were entirely oblivious to the situation as they continued their lesson. Huifang soon returned her attention to the direction that Jade had fled. After a few moments, she exited the water and began walking toward the direction her friend had fled, but remembered that she needed to address her class.

"OK EVERYONE!" she yelled, drawing their attention to her, "I think that's enough for today." The cubs began to groan in disappointment.

"But we just started," one whined. Huifang hated disappointing people, especially children, but she needed to make sure that Jade was alright.

"I know," she replied, "But I just remembered I need to take care of something." _More like someone, _she thought to herself. "We'll pick this up tomorrow, K?" she offered. The cubs, while still disappointed, relented. After gathering their things, they were ushered away by Jing and Nu Hai, who both gave Huifang an understanding nod and smile as they passed, which she returned. Once she was certain everyone was gone, she resumed her search for the emerald toothed doe.

After asking around if anyone had seen Jade, Huifang finally learned from one of the other does that they had seen jade run into her hut. After offering a quick word of thnaks tot he doe, Huifang bolted in the direction of said hut.

Upon approaching the hut, Huifang could see the deer ajar, the sound of labored breathing coming from beyond. Slowly easing the door open, Huifang was soon met with a startling sight; Jade, in her bed, curled in a fetal position, breathing heavily, her eyes wide with panic and fear, a clear sign of a panic attack. Slowly approaching the terrified doe, Huifang gently grasped one of Jade's hands with both of hers, bringing it close to her chest. This brought Jade's attention to the new presence in the tent. Looking to the new arrival, Jade saw the eyes of a doe who looked just as scared as she was, but for her.

"Jade," Huifang began, almost timidly, "You OK?" Looking away from Huifang, the still wide eyed doe slowly shook her head as her breathing began to pick up again. Huifang realized that if Jade didn't calm down soon, she would hyperventilate and pass out. Thinking quickly, Huifang, after getting int he barely large enough bed, pulled Jade into her lap, pulling the frightened doe's head tightly to her chest and began to speak softly to her;

"Shhhh," she soothed. "Listen to my heart, OK?" she instructed. Jade quickly nodded and began to listen to the gentle thrum of her companion's heartbeat. After a few minutes, Jade began to calm down. When she was certain that her friend had calmed down enough, Huifang decided to address the elephant in the room.

"You wanna talk about it?" She felt Jade stiffen, and began fearing that her friend would keep bottling up what was bothering her. But, much to her relief, Jade's body relaxed as she began to tell her comforter what was troubling her.

"I was just a fawn," she began. "I lived in one of the Northern provinces with my father. He was such a kind man; generous, loving, and he never spoke ill of anyone. I think it would have surprised you at how caring he was; it was as if he had no malice or hate in his heart, only love. And I always felt calm around him," Jade paused for a moment as she gave a small smile at the memories of her father. But soon her expression became sad as she continued to tell Huifang of her childhood.

"He was all I had when my mother had passed away. I was close to her, just like my father. Her loss hurt so much, that I began to fear for my father. But, he always reassured me that, no matter what happened, he would always be with me." A tear slipped from Jades eyes as she had reached the part of her memories that she dreaded the most.

"My father was a fisherman, you see. All year round, he would fish the nearby rivers and lakes, even during winter. One day, during winter, he decided to bring me along, instead of leaving me with Mr. Ling; a messy buck who always smelled of opium. I'm not kidding when I say the smell made me sick to my stomach." Jade's body shuddered at the bitter memory, and quickly returned to her story.

"We walked to a small river near our village. The ice was pretty thick, but father warned me of thin patches. We walked to the middle of the river, where father had discovered an opening in the ice. As he was preparing his line, I guess I wasn't paying attention; I stepped on thin ice. The next thing I remember, father told me 'stay still, stay calm, I'll come to you.' As he started walking toward me, I noticed the cracks in the ice getting bigger. As I was just about to warn him, the ice gave way and we both fell in." Jades body shuddered again.

"I know that you know what it feels like to be in water that cold, Huifang," Jade stated, referring to the time on the frozen lake when Jing took control of Jindiao's mind, making him break the ice they were standing on. Huifang shivered at the memory as Jade continued.

"It feels like a thousand blades stabbing you all over your body. You can't move, you can't breathe, you can't think, at least not about anything but the pain."

"Luckily, father had managed to grab me before we both went under. However, we both weren't prepared for the strength of the current. It tossed us around under the ice, bashing us into the rocks at the bottom and the ice on top."

"Father actually managed to find another patch of thin ice to break through as the current dragged us further from home. It must have been pure luck because, right where we came up, there was a branch from a tree, hanging right over us. Father managed to thrown me up to a branch. As soon as he was sure I was safe, he started trying to climb the branch as well. But, he…" Jade began to choke up as she tried hard to fight back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Huifang, who pretty much already knowing what happened, held Jade close to her. She knew what Jade was going to say but, for her friend's sake, needed her say it.

"What happened?" As the memory came flooding back, Jade's expression quickly changed to stoic.

"A twig snapped," she continued, "and he was gone." The tears then came freely, but with no sobs.

"After that, I wandered the river bank. I was so far from home, I didn't know which way to go. In the end I became an urchin, stealing in order to survive. I also had to learn to fight in order to defend myself, which is how I lost my tusk. That is until I met," after pausing for a moment, Jade's face twisted into one of anger and disgust, "_HIM._" Jade said "him" with such venom that Huifang was certain even mentioning Jindiao left a bitter taste in Jade's mouth. But, what really caught Huifang off guard, was what Jade said next.

"And all of it was my fault."

Huifang looked down at the doe in her arms, shocked that she would blame herself for the death of someone she dearly loved.

"That's not true," Huifang insisted, "You loved him and he loved you. How can you…"

"Because I was the one who wasn't paying attention!" Jade didn't move her body with the outburst, but the exclamation brought out a sob, but that was it. There was a brief silence in the room, neither doe daring to make a sound.

"If it was your fault, then why did he save you?" The question caught Jade off guard.

"Like I said," Huifang continued, "He loved you, and he was willing give up his life to save yours. Even if it was your fault, he still would have done it." Jade thought deeply about what Huifang had just said to her and, though she couldn't be sure, at the same time, felt a very familiar presence in the air. And this presence was one she recognized all too well. And at that moment, Jade could have sworn she heard a whisper in the breeze that flowed into the hut. Soon that whisper became a voice, one that washed away all the doubt she had in her mind and filled her heart with warmth she had not felt in a long time;

"I am still here." That voice, one she had not heard since that day, had just sounded again. Most would say it was impossible, but Jade had learned from her past experiences, that NOTHING was impossible. Jade soon melted back into the embrace she was currently in, smiling with content as she realized that what her father said about always being with her, was true. Sensing that her friend had calmed down, Huifang decided to see if Jade was comfortable enough to continue her lesson.

"Sooooo…" she inquired, "You wanna give the lesson another try?" after a brief moment of hesitation, Jade finally nodded her head. Releasing the latter from their embrace, Huifang stood on her feet and offered an outstretched hand to Jade. Jade tenderly took it with her own, and followed Huifang back to the pond. The sun was starting to go down, but neither doe didn't seem to care. As they reached the edge of the pond, Huifang took both of Jade's hands into her own, like earlier, and began to lead her into the water. Noticing Jade's gaze was focused on the water, Huifang used a hand to bring her head up so that they were face to face.

"Just look at me, and breath." Jade did as she was told and was so transfixed by Huifang's caring gaze that she didn't notice she had entered the pond until they were waste deep in water. As they continued walking into the pond, Jade began to notice that the water was getting deeper with each step. As the water got chest deep, Jade began to slightly panic.

Noticing the panicked look on her friend's face, Huifang brought a hoof out of the water to caress the former's cheek. Having her attention drawn back to the doe before her, Jade soon relaxed as Huifang began the lesson. As the lesson progressed from simple doggy paddle to basic breasts strokes, Jade found she actually enjoyed swimming. It would certainly make a great alternative exercise aside from Kung Fu.

Soon, the sun had set, and, as the moon began to rise, both deer decided to call it a day. After drying off and changing back into their regular clothes, Huifang offered to walk Jade back to her hut. Jade accepted. As they walked, Huifang was pleasantly surprised when she felt Jade take her hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Both continued walking, eyes forward, but with a smile on both their faces, occasionally sneaking glances when they though the other wasn't looking. They arrived at the hut within a few minutes. Huifang walked Jade to the door and, as soon as she started to turn toward her hut, she felt a pair of lips press against her cheek. Shocked, and with a mad blush, Huifang turned to see Jade with half closed eyes, and a small smile on her red face.

"Thank You," said Jade. Huifang, sporting an equally bright, if not brighter blush, returned the gaze as she spoke.

"Anytime," she replied, and began to walk toward her temporary home. Halfway there she looked over her shoulder to see Jade standing right where she left her. Offering a timid wave, she gave a small smile and relaxed when she saw Jade return the gesture, after which she entered her hut. As Huifang continued walking toward her hut, she couldn't help but bring her paw up to tenderly caress the cheek that Jade had kissed. Could this mean that Jade thought they could be more than friends, more than clan sisters? Little did she know, Jade was having the same thought, but, decided not to dwell on it until later. For now, she would rest knowing that she could accomplish anything, so long as she remembered that the people she loved would always be there for her.


	3. Luck

_This is not a date_, Jade kept telling herself. It had been a week since Jade's swimming lessons with Huifang, but the former still couldn't shake the aftermath from her thoughts. On that day, Jade had divulged one of her most traumatic childhood memories to the bumbling water deer; the day her father sacrificed his life to save hers. Huifang had listened, and offered comfort as Jade had to relive one of the most horrid events in her life.

It was after this heart to heart, and subsequent swimming lesson, during which Jade began to overcome her fear of water, that the pair had actually walked, hand in hand, to Jade's temporary hut in the panda village. As Huifang was leaving, Jade had placed a small kiss on the former's cheek, deeply shocking her. But the shock had disappeared as she saw the small smile and half lidded gaze on Jade's face.

After being thanked by Jade for her help, Huifang walked away with a bit more spring in her step. Jade felt elated at this display of affection toward her fellow water deer, but was unsure how to progress with her feelings. Throughout the rest of the week, Jade had focused on mending her body after the attack on the Panda Village. Huifang had also been doing what she had been doing in the aftermath of Jindiao's attack, babysitting the panda cubs.

Most of the Parents in the village where either helping to rebuild, with the assistance of the Poison Clan, or doing what panda's do best, sleep or eat. Every time Jade saw the childish cervine play with actual children, she would smile sweetly at the sight. She didn't know why, but every time she saw the young doe, clad in her typical tan trousers and new leaf green hanfu, graciously prepared by the village seamstress, she felt weak kneed as her stomach did flips; her heart always felt like it would pound out of her chest.

To think, she was the leader of one of the most feared clans in China, now she couldn't muster the courage to approach Huifang since their last encounter. That is, until, today.

The goose father of Dragon Master Po, Mr. Ping, had soon arrived with his food cart just in time for the lunch rush. Instantly, the little panda's attacked the cart for a quick snack, or to simply climb all over Mr. Ping, who attempted to pry them off of him. Jade took advantage of the distraction and approached Huifang.

As she walked towards the panda babysitter, a few members of the Poison Clan caught sight of the direction their leader was going and began to exchange whispers and trade smirks. it was no secret to the water deer that their leader held a deep "fondness" for a certain, bubbly member. Heck, there was even a betting pool on when or if the two would finally "make it official".

As Jade finally approached Huifang, who was attempting to use her hand to muffle her laughter at Mr. Ping's misfortune, she heard a nagging voice in the back of her head telling her to turn around and walk away, which she finally decided to do. Just as she had turned away, she caught the mischievous eyes of one of her fellow monks. Realizing what the sneaky doe was about to do as she took a breath, Jade began to shake her head and mouthed silent pleas of mercy while clasping her hooves together in the pleading pose. But it was for naught.

"HEY, HUIFANG!" came the cry. Jade thought she could try to make a break for it before the other water deer turned around, even if she still had a twisted ankle. Unfortunately, Huifang had turned around just in time to see the back of the doe, and soon a broad smile spread across her muzzle.

"HEY JADE, WASSUP!" The upbeat greeting made Jade cringe, and then automatically stare daggers at the doe who just made her life all the more complicated. Said doe could only flash a smug smirk at her leader before returning to her work of patching the roof of the healer's hut. Shutting her eyes as she let out a soft groan, Jade turned to see the ever smiling face of Huifang. Soon, the emerald tusked water deer forgot about her smug compatriot and soon melted at the joyous gaze of the beautiful doe before her. Snapping herself out of her trance, Jade finally had the nerve to speak.

"Hello, Huifang," she greeted, a little too formally. She shook off the thought and continued, all while looking at anything but Huifang. "I was just taking a stroll to help my ankle, and I thought maybe you would like to join me." Soon Jade began to hear hushed whispers as the other water deer listening in began to alter their bets, but she took no mind as she began to notice the ever widening smile of the doe before her.

"You mean like a date?" the ditzy doe inquired. At that moment, Jade began to hear the tell-tale sound of money being handed off as she heard a chorus of "called it" and "stupid bet anyway" from her fellow Poison Clan members. She quickly put a stop to it.

"No, not like a date," she responded quickly, and a bit too harshly, to the disappointment of her companion, but to the joy of the losing betting pool, who smugly demanded their money back, while other's silently "awed" at the look of disappointment on Huifang's face; they may be warriors, but that didn't mean they weren't like real sisters who cared for each other.

Not caring about the transactions occurring behind her, Jade suddenly felt bad at seeing the disappointed doe before her clutch one hand to her chest with the other, while she cast her gaze down, met in equal pace with her flattening ears. Jade couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw tears begin to form in the usually boisterous doe's eyes. Knowing she could never bear to see the bubbly deer so glum, Jade quickly leaned in and whispered, "But let's take that walk and see where IT takes US." Huifang quickly perked up and began to chase after the quickly retreating form of Jade. As she waited for her companion to catch up, Jade, despite what she had just inferred to her companion, began to mentally chant her own little mantra;

"This is not a date."

The walk wasn't that extravagant, just a scenic stroll around the perimeter of the village. But, Huifang didn't care, because she was with, as she put it, "the most awesome person she knows." As the walk continued, both does noticed that the sun was beginning to set, and a light breeze began to blow through the mountains.

As they walked, Jade turned and noticed the sea-shell Huifang kept with her. The small marine artifact was hanging over the young doe's chest by a silk ribbon, graciously offered by the ribbon dancing panda, Mei Mei, if Jade recalled correctly. Jade felt a twinge of guilt come over her as she remembered how she chastised Huifang for looking for her "lucky sea shell" instead of ransacking the Panda Warriors training hall, as they had been looking for the Scroll of the Four Constellations. Realizing she knew so little about her companion, especially her attachment to the small shell, Jade decided to get to know her former subordinate a little better.

"Huifang," she said, "may I ask you something?"

"Sure, you can ask me anything," the trusting doe replied. Jade could only smile at the boisterous doe's enthusiasm.

"Why is it," Jade continued to ask, "that you prize that one sea shell so much? I know you say it is your 'lucky sea shell', but there are so many others like it; why that one?" Jade expected a childish response like "it was pretty", or anything else, but what she actually heard left her speechless.

"Because it reminds me of my uncle." Looking quickly to her companion, Jade noticed a sad smile appear on her face as she held the pendant close to her chest. Jade then remembered that Huifang's uncle, Hanfang, actually worked for Emperor Kang Zi as a general in the Imperial Army, as well as the Emperor's head military advisor. That brought another realization to her mind; Huifang had not seen her Uncle for months now. Jade was soon brought out of her thoughts as Huifang continued to speak.

"I was just a fawn, maybe five or six," she said, "and my parents sent me to stay with my uncle in the Forbidden City one summer. He had been given a little break by the Emperor, so one day he took me to the beach outside of the city." Huifang chuckled at the memory, leading Jade to do so as well. They had actually stopped walking at this point and sat down on a rock near the entrance of the village, giving them a perfect view of the sunset.

"Anyway," Huifang continued, "when we got to the beach, I told Uncle Han I wanted to find some sea shells to take back with me. He told me that seashells rarely washed up on that beach, and that I shouldn't be too disappointed if I didn't find any. Almost the entire time we were there, I couldn't find any shells. Uncle Han decided to take me to this shack that sold these amazing sweet cakes. He said it would cheer me up. We were walking to the shack, right alongside the waves, when I saw it...the prettiest shell I had seen in my life, actually the only shell I had seen in my life." Huifang huffed a laugh at her earliest memory. Jade was so entranced by the story that she didn't notice that her hand came to rest on top of that of her companions.

"It was so amazing," Huifang said, "so white and smooth. I was so happy. Even Uncle Han looked amazed that I had found a shell. When we got to the shack, Uncle Han ordered both of us a piece of sweet cake that had the most amazing sugar sauce on it. He split it with me; that's what we always did, you see. My uncle mentioned to the owner that it was my first time to the beach, and how I had found a seashell. The owner, a very nice wolf, actually didn't charge us for the cake. Heck, he even gave us another one for free. We thanked him, and went home. I was so excited that I wasn't paying attention and ended up getting separated from my uncle." Jade began to notice that Huifang's expression turned somewhat fearful, like hers during their swimming lesson. Jade gave her friends hand a gentle squeeze, reassuring her that she wasn't alone. Huifang, having calmed down, decided to continue her story.

"I called out for him, but he didn't answer," Huifang continued. "I was so scared that I actually started to cry. Then, I heard someone ask if I was okay. I looked behind me, and there was another water deer. He was very big, at least I thought so, and he had all this fishing stuff with him**. **I was so afraid, I was about to run, but he had a very gentle smile, and loving eyes that actually made me feel safe. I told him I was lost and couldn't find my uncle. He told me he would help me look for him. He even let me take his hand, and we started walking around the market."

"He asked people if they had seen my uncle. Almost everyone told him that there was a buck looking for a little fawn that he said was his niece. They pointed us the right way, and, before I knew it, I saw my uncle by a noodle booth asking the owner about me. I just ran up to him and hugged his leg for dear life. He was so happy that he found me that he gave the nice deer some money. The deer actually refused, saying he just liked helping people. He even said that he was lucky he found me first and not some bandit. And he was right, I was lucky. That's when I realized, this shell made me lucky. And I've never let it out of my sight since."

Jade was listening to the story so intensely, that she actually froze when Huifang mentioned the fisherman. She didn't believe in luck, but, after hearing about the fisherman, she had a hunch of who it was, and needed to see if it lead anywhere.

"Huifang," she inquired, "the fisherman, did he happen to say where he was from?" Huifang responded that the fisherman mentioned he was from the northern regions of China. Jade then asked if he mentioned any family; His wife had recently passed away, and that he was now a single father looking after their daughter. Just as Huifang mentioned "daughter" a look of realization dawned on her face as she looked at Jade, remembering what she had told her a week ago.

"Your dad found me," she whispered. Both sat there, looking at each other wide eyed at the realization that their destinies were linked through Jade's father. Huifang then smiled and spoke again. "Now I know, without a doubt, that my sea shell is lucky," She said.

"Why is that," Jade inquired.

"Because then I never would have met you," she finished. Jade was so entranced by what she just heard that she didn't notice the bubbly doe leaning into her until a pair of lips brushed against hers. Jade was pulled back to reality at the sudden realization that Huifang, the young, ditzy doe that she had abused in the past, was kissing her. Unsure of what to do for the first few moments, Jade slowly relaxed, closing her eyes and bringing a hoof up to caress the cheek of her new partner.

At that moment, there was no village, no Poison Clan, no pandas. Just Jade Tusk and Huifang, completely lost in their loving embrace. Soon the need for air arose, and the two cervine friends turned lovers separated from each other, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, all the while panting for breath.

"I love you, Jade," Huifang whispered as she rested her forehead against her partner's. Jade, at first shocked at the revelation, quickly relaxed and just smiled as she replied,

"I love you too, Huifang." They shared one more quick, but passionate kiss, cradling each other's faces, before they both arose from the rock they were sitting on, and began to walk back to the village, hand in hand. From a hidden vantage point behind them, a few members of the Poison Clan had just witnessed what had transpired, and quickly left to tell the others, as well as collect their winnings. The two embracing does didn't seem to notice, as they only focused on each other's company.

As the pair walked together toward Jade's hut, said doe wrapped an arm around the other's shoulder bringing her companion closer. Said companion then rested her head atop of the other's shoulder. As they walked to Jade's hut, they noticed several of the Poison Clan exchanging money and addressing the two lovers as their "cash does". Paying no mind to their clan sisters, both does soon arrived at the clan leaders hut. Just as Huifang was about to leave, she heard something that made her heart skip a beat.

"You know Huifang," Jade voiced, "it gets pretty lonely in this hut when it is just me. Maybe you could stay and keep me company." Looking to her newfound lover in surprise, Huifang noticed a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. Unable to say no to the emerald toothed cervine, Huifang slowly nodded her head. After entering the hut, Huifang closed the door. Once that was done, she turned around to find Jade, having stripped to her chest wrappings and cotton panties, laying on her bed with a dreamy look on her face. Gulping nervously, Huifang began to slowly walk toward the bed, hesitantly stripping herself to the same degree as Jade. Noticing Huifang's nervousness, Jade sent a reassuring smile to her partner.

"Don't worry," she said, "It will just be sleep, nothing more. I won't ask anything more of you until you are ready." After seeing that her new girlfriend was relaxed, Jade took both of Huifang's hands in her own, drawing her closer. As soon as Huifang was laying on the bed, both does just lay on their sides, gazing into each other's eyes, until Jade brought her head forward to rest on her lover's chest, sighing in content as she listened to Huifang's steady breathing, as well as her smooth heartbeat.

Huifang then felt Jade wrap her arms around her middle, pulling her into a loving embrace. Huifang just smiled as she wrapped one arm around Jades relaxed form, and brought a hoof to rest on top of the latter's head. Stroking her lovers head softly, Huifang bent down and gently kissed Jade's forehead, earning a small sigh of contentment from the dozing deer. Soon, both does fell asleep, holding each other as they had now found the one who made them whole. Jade would never admit it, but as far as "not dates" go, this one was the best.


	4. Jelousy

Deep in the mountains of Ancient China, in the secret Panda Village, the inhabitants were all moving along with their daily lives. It had been two months since the attack on the village by the crazed Dragon Master Jindiao, but since then, the village had been repaired, and all was right with the universe. However, one could not simply call it a secret PANDA village anymore. The reason being that the village was now home to the cult of female water deer known as the Poison Clan.

After the fight with Jindiao, the clan leader, Jade Tusk, now just Jade, had volunteered herself and her clan sisters to help the pandas rebuild their village. After about three weeks of repairs, the clan of does prepared to leave, only to be offered by the panda leader, Li Shan, also Dragon Master Po's biological father, to stay, seeing as how the clans help had allowed them to become integrated to village life. Jade decided to hold it to a vote with her sisters, resulting in a unanimous vote to stay, having formed friendships and deep bonds within the panda community. Jade noticed the one who was most excited to stay was the bubbly clan member Huifang, who also happened to be the girlfriend of the emerald toothed doe.

If someone had told Jade three months earlier that she would be dating the most gullible, boisterous, and annoying water deer in the province, she would have kicked them into Jindiao's moon pit for fear they had gone mad. But, after the battle in the village, Huifang had helped her to open up about her past, specifically how Jade developed a fear of water after her father drowned trying to save her**,** as well as being able to listen to others, especially after hearing the story of how Huifang found her lucky sea shell. After the latter event, Jade found she had fallen in the love with the ditzy doe, and vice-versa. It was then that they had shared their first kiss, finally cementing their new relationship.

Jade had been walking through the village, smiling widely at the various pandas and water deer that she passed. She beamed especially at the sight of few new couples. It turns out that her relationship with Huifang had inspired others in the village to be more open about their feelings. She recalled one day when one of her clan sisters, Fa Jun, a beautiful teenage doe in a violet silk tunic and black training pants, who had a tuft of fur always hanging over her left eye, was asked out by a kind, soft spoken water deer named Nan Hai, who had happened upon the village a few weeks prior while on a cross country journey.

Jade had laughed warmly when the young buck was tackled by the ecstatic doe, which lead Jade to explain that Jun had been waiting for Nan to ask her out for some time. Needless to say, the date was a success, as Jun and Nan were rarely seen apart from each other since then. That hadn't stopped Jade from giving Nan the "you hurt her, you have me to answer too" spiel, even though she knew that Nan was too much of sweetheart to hurt Jun intentionally.

Pulling herself from her memories, Jade smiled at the two lovebirds, both laying on their backs on a small hill, hand in hand, as they gazed at the clouds together. Such a sight reminded her of how she and her partner would occasionally do the same thing. Which reminded Jade of the purpose of her walk; she had been searching for Huifang so the two could grab some grub from Mr. Ping, who had set up his own little shop in the village so he wouldn't always have to bring "Cart" whenever he visited.

Before long, Jade had found Huifang at her new job. Seeing as how the Poison Clan would have to contribute to the community in order to stay, each decided to adopt a trade that fit their skill sets. Some took up carpentry, others decorating, a few cooking and baking, as well as taking on titles as seamstresses', while a handful retained their original positions as guards. Huifang's skill just happened to be with child care.

Jade had noticed early on that Huifang was good with children. Whenever parents were busy during the village repairs, the bubbly dear offered to babysit the cubs. She felt she was so good at it, she decided to open her own little day care when the Clan was invited to stay. Jade was a bit skeptical, seeing as how Huifang, although smarter than what she and the other does gave her credit for, as well as surprisingly wise, was in ways of personality a child herself, leading Jade to think that her partner, although skilled in giving lessons, was a little immature for something as delicate as full-on child care.

But she was proven wrong one day when she observed that, even though the doe could be very childish, was willing to put her foot down when it became clear that things were getting out of hand. But, Huifang was never forceful in discipline, which meant she never resorted to anything above a stern talking to, which seemed to get to the cubs very easily, as Huifang explained their misdeeds in a simple way that they could understand; this made Jade love the doe even more. She even believed Huifang would make a great mother one day.

As Jade approached the small area that Huifang designated for her day care, She was soon overwhelmed with an onslaught of giggling cubs, each wanting to either be picked up or look at her fake, emerald tooth. Jade, who had developed a soft spot for children thanks to Huifang, picked up the first cub she saw who just admired her shining tusk. Huifang, who had be teaching a small cub some basic reading looked up at the sound of the commotion and smiled at her girlfriend. Excusing herself from the cub, Huifang began walking toward Jade.

"HEY, JADE!" she greeted in her overly enthusiastic way. Upon reaching her partner, Huifang leaned in, as did Jade, for a quick kiss. Some of the cubs "oohed" at the sight, while others made gagging noises at the display of affection. Both deer just smiled at the cub's antics as they refocused their attention on each other. "So, what's up?" inquired Huifang, smiling at her lovely partner.

"Nothing," responded Jade, "I just wanted see if you wanted to get some lunch at Mr. Ping's." Just as Jade finished speaking, she heard the telltale sound of a rumbling stomach. Huifang quickly looked down at her own stomach, only to looking back a Jade with a wide, sheepish smile.

"Well I guess that answers that question," joked Huifang. Turning around, she called to a nearby panda who Jade recognized as Fan Tong, the young panda who had acquired Master Red Phoenix's Chi. "HEY FAN TONG," Huifang called, catching the former's attention, "You think you can handle watching the kids for a bit while I grab some grub." Fan Tong responded with a large small.

"Sure, I can handle it," Fan Tong responded coolly, leaning a broom he had, only for it fall from under him, causing him to land right on his face, leading Jade to scrunch her face in confusion as she began to doubt her partner's assistant. After thanking Fan Tong, both deer walked together toward Mr. Ping's. They were no more than ten feet away when they heard a high pitched squeal come from the area they were just at. Turning around, they were met with the sight of Fan Tong being swarmed by an army of tiny panda's. Both does just smiled and continued their walk.

Upon arriving at the makeshift noodle shop, they noticed Mr. Ping being hounded by a crowd of obviously very hungry pandas and water deer. Before the two partners, both sporting wide eyed, nervous expressions, could even comprehend what was going on, Jun barreled between the two of them, quickly making her way behind the counter, all while hastily tying an apron around her waist; Jun was the head waitress at the restaurant, well, the only waitress who would put up the awful pay and bad hours at Mr. Ping's.

"JUN, YOU'RE LATE!" yelled Mr. Ping in a tone that was half angry and half afraid for his life.

"SORRY MR. PING!" responded Jun guiltily as she began taking orders and preparing the noodles. Before long, the crowd had been served and either had taken their lunch to a nearby table, or simply had it to go. Jade and Huifang had decided to take a seat at a table while the chaos died down. Soon, they were met with the apologetic eyes of Jun who looked on the verge of passing out.

"Sorry about that guys," she said, "I guess I lost track of time." Jade responded quickly with a knowing smile, while resting her chin on both of her hooves.

"I guess spending all that time with a strapping young buck will do that to you," teased Jade, winking at the eighteen-year-old doe, earning a muffled snort from Huifang and an embarrassed look from Jun. Before Jun could even take their orders, Mr. Ping stormed up to the exhausted doe, figurative steam pouring from his nostrils.

"Jun," he began in a controlled, but otherwise tense tone, making said doe cringe, "I can understand outside of the noodle shop, you are going to do what you are going to do, but today was too much. If this continues, I will have no choice but to…" before he could finish, Mr. Ping was interrupted by a very annoyed Jade.

"Lay off her Ping," growled Jade, who had noticed the young doe had been on the verge of crying, arms crossed in front of her chest, with a hoof clasped over her mouth to muffle her sobs, while keeping her violet eyes clenched shut. In the time Jade had known Jun, she observed that the young doe never liked personal confrontation, as she would always cry when being scolded or antagonized. Refocusing her attention on the angry goose, Jade continued her rant.

"She was late because she was with Nan. If you haven't noticed, her life does not revolve around noodles like yours," while ranting to the goose, Jade stood up and wrapped her friend in a comforting hug, as the young doe just let her tears flow onto her jade green hanfu. Huifang, even though she felt bad for her friend, couldn't help but feel a strange feeling develop in the pit of her stomach as her gaze hardened at the sight of another doe in her girlfriend's arms. Her thoughts were interrupted when Jade continued to admonish the obviously startled goose.

"She has a boyfriend who cares a lot about her," she continued, "I say that's worth sacrificing her time AND job for. And, if you can't respect that, then you deserve being hounded every day."

Mr. Ping was a bit taken aback by Jade's tirade. Looking around, he noticed he was receiving dirty looks from the other patrons in the area. One doe even brandished a freshly sharpened knife. Gulping nervously, Ping returned his attention to Jun, who had just pulled herself away from Jade, who had noticeable tear stains on her tunic.

The former had recomposed herself, although her eyes where still puffy, and streaks of wet fur running down her cheeks, and she was taking deep breaths. Eyes softening at the sight, Mr. Ping let out a long sigh. Looking at Jun, he beckoned her with his wing to come down to his level. Jun, although hesitant, complied, not wanting to upset her boss any further.

"Jun," he began, "I am very sorry." Almost all the patrons in the space were soon wide eyed and slack jawed; it was very rare for Mr. Ping to show any kind of remorse.

"You are right, Jade," he continued, "It was very inconsiderate of me to think of Jun as just an employee with no life of her own." He ended his sentence by placing a wing on one of Jun's shoulders.

"You know," he continued, "I was in love once," he said, while also laughing at the memory, "she was a scorpion, sure, but she was also the most beautiful arachnid I had ever seen." Pings eyes glazed over with a mist of reminiscing. However, he quickly snapped to a sour expression as his stressed monotone explained, "But then again, she was only using me to get to my son and attack the Jade Palace." His face soon returned to its dreamy state. "But it was still the best time of my life," he finished.

"So, am I fired," asked Jun, tentatively? Mr. Ping looked toward the scared water deer, and slowly allowed another smile to cross his face as he shook his head.

"No, my child," he responded. "Like I said, I know what it's like to be in love. Just promise me you will balance your personal life with work, and all is forgiven." Jun beamed from ear to ear as she enveloped the avian in a tight hug, causing the goose to let out a startled honk.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. PING!" she screamed. She quickly released the goose when she heard him gasping for air, spitting out apologies in rapid succession. The other patrons, now seeing that the tension was diffused, went back to their meals while Jade stood there with a proud smile on her face. Huifang, while being happy for Jun, was still a little unnerved by the attention she had received from her partner.

"ALRIGHT!" shouted Mr. Ping. "Let's get back to work! We have hungry mouths to feed!" Jun got up, quickly took the two does orders, and ran to the kitchen. "OH! And Jun," Mr. Ping called to his employee, who quickly stuck her head in the door frame at hearing her name being called. "If your late again, it comes out of your pay," he finished in a deadpan tone as he walked toward the kitchen.

"Oh, and Huifang," he said, turning back to said doe, whose ears perked up. "Don't think I didn't notice the extra green in your eyes," he said with a wink and smile as he returned to the kitchen. While Huifang was confused at the statement, Jade's full attention was on her partner as she suddenly realized what Mr. Ping was getting at.

"Extra green? My eyes are the same shade as always," she wondered innocently. Jade only shook her head and smiled; she loved the doe, but she could be real clueless sometimes. Jun returned with their orders and left, but not before giving Jade a big hug for the help she gave. Jade noticed the hard glare on Huifang's face from earlier as she was held in the massive bear hug from her friend. The glare softened when Jade sent a reassuring smile and wink. Jun soon withdrew from the hug and went back to work. As Huifang's glare followed the doe, Jade decided to break the ice.

"He mean's your jealous," she stated with an amused smirk. Huifang, realizing she had been caught, started trying to cover up the obvious existence of her own little green-eyed monster.

"Whaaaat," she stressed nonchalantly," I'm not jealous." Huifang then began to go into a rambling, fast paced defense speech.

"I mean, would a jealous person feel like her girlfriend was being hit on by another girl who just gave her a hug for standing up for her which could lead to deeper feelings forming into a budding romance, oh my gosh I'm jealous," she finished as she brought her cheek down into the palm of her hand with an exhausted look on her face. Huifang then felt her other hand being squeezed. Looking down, she saw that Jade was holding her hand, all while smiling a gentle smile at her lover.

"Huifang," she started to say, 'You have nothing to worry about. Believe me, Jun is cute," she added just to annoy her companion, which succeeded. "But," she continued, "She has one problem." This peaked Huifang's interest

"What?" she inquired. Jade smiled, bringing her hand up to caress her girlfriend's cheek, to which the latter nuzzled into while closing her eyes and sighing in contentment.

"She's not you." With that Jade leaned in and captured Huifang's lips in kiss, to which the latter gladly reciprocated.

The rest of their lunch was uneventful; they basically just fed each other noodles and bean buns, occasionally getting a single strand that, when slurped, brought their lips back together.

Eventually, Jade walked Huifang back to her day care, but not before paying for their food and leaving a sizeable tip for Jun. Upon returning to the day care, the pair arrived to find Fan Tong bound in rope, hanging from a nearby tree, as the multitude of children tried to break him open with sticks to try to get the imaginary candy inside of him. Looking at each other, both does just smiled and rolled their eyes at the children's antics, and proceeded to help poor Fan Tong.

Needless to say, knowing she had an amazing girlfriend who only had eyes for her, Huifang knew she had no further reason to be jealous of anyone.


	5. Proposal

One year. It had been one year since the defeat of the evil Dragon Master Jindiao. In that time, the Panda Village had been repaired with the aid of the Poison Clan, a group of female water deer who had once been obedient to the tyrant reptile. Now, under the leadership of their new commander, Jade Tusk, along with her lieutenant and girlfriend Huifang, the does where now a part of everyday life in the village.

In fact, the village had been renamed after having it brought to the attention of the inhabitants that it was no longer just pandas living in the area. It had been decided that the village be named the _Sacred Sanctuary of the Four Constellations_, after the panda children who had acquired the thousand year old chi that the universe bestowed upon them. With the protection of the Four Constellations, and the absence of the long defeated Jindiao, the village was at peace, and larger, with new huts to accommodate the growing population.

Jade Tusk, who had be going by just Jade for the past year, was walking, hoof in hoof, with her girlfriend Huifang, the boisterous, although ditzy, member of the clan. The latter of the pair was walking with her right side pressed tightly against her lovers left, sighing with contentment as she laid her head on the emerald tusked does shoulder, with said doe bringing her head to rest on the other's.

As they walked, the pair noticed a few other couples in the area. One couple, consisting of a jovial panda and laughing water deer, where walking through the village with the latter on top of the former's shoulders, with the doe having a fun time while also holding on for her life. The two water deer also noticed another pair of their clan sisters, a bit uneasy at the graphic scene of one of the doe's back pressed against a stalk of bamboo as the other viciously assaulted her mouth with her own, both not caring about the uncomfortable stares they were getting for their public display of affection. Moving on, Jade and Huifang smiled at the tender sight that befell them next; Fa Jun and Nan Hai, the latter with his head on the former's swollen stomach.

It had been a month after the whole Huifang-Jun fiasco at Mr. Pings temporary noodle shop when Nan had asked Jun to marry him, to which she tearfully said yes. The wedding, which was held later that week, was simple, but the happiness felt was boundless. It was only about four months after the wedding that Jun announced, to everyone's surprise, that she was expecting. Now, Jun was due any day, and everyone was curious to see the new addition to the village.

While Jade was happy for the soon to be parents, she couldn't keep the wedding out of her mind. Both she and Huifang had known each other far longer than Jun and Nan, but it unsettled her that the young lovers had married first. After learning of her clan sister's pregnancy, Jade had decided that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with the doe beside her. Every so often, Jade would sneak off by herself to a small meadow near the village, where a very special type of flora grew, and would pick them until she had a sizable bundle. The purpose of the flowers would become apparent in the coming months. But, for now, back to the present.

The day was peaceful as the two does walked through the village. It was a day of rest for all local business owners, so Huifang was free from her job as a daycare owner. Jade was also free from the job she acquired as a Kung Fu teacher, training young students alongside Dragon Master Po and his students, the new Four Constellations, the quintet and Poison Clan having just returned from the Forbidden City after thwarting a coup against the Empress Xiao after her father's death at the hands of his Royal Advisor, Shi long. Before returning to the village, Jade had gifted the Empress with her jade prosthetic tusk, which the young lynx had had crafted into a dagger.

As Jade and Huifang walked, they approached the soon to be parents, both sitting on a grassy knoll with Jun's back now pressed against Nan's stomach, as both cradled the very noticeable baby bulge peaking under her violet silk tunic. Noticing the doe couple approaching them, Jun beamed brightly at her friends.

"Hi Jade, Hey Hui," she greeted happily, light gleaming in her one visible eye that wasn't covered by the long tuft of fur concealing the other, "how are you doing?" Nan only offered a meek wave, as he was always a bit shy around others except Jun, which, as Jun pointed out, made him all the more cute. Both does smiled at their "little sister," as she was practically glowing in the aura of her pregnancy.

"We are fine Jun," responded Jade, "but what are you doing out?" she inquired with a bit of a worried expression, "you should be inside resting." Jun just rolled her eyes and smiled; she loved her surrogate sister, but ever since the fiasco at Ping's, she was a bit overprotective of her "little sister".

"It's fine, Jade," Jun reassured, "the baby isn't due for at least another week." She explained gently taking Jades hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Even though Huifang had come to terms that there was nothing romantic between the two does, that still didn't stop her from glaring at the scene.

"OH!" exclaimed Jun as she suddenly lurched forward, eyes wide. The doe couple jumped, thinking that perhaps she was going into labor, but that thought was quelled when Jun said, "that was a pretty big kick, wasn't it hon."

"Sure was," Nan responded in a light low tenor, a broad smile on his face, "looks like our kid's gonna be a fighter like his mamma." This earned a round of chuckles from the others, save for a very intrigued Huifang. Noticing Huifang's curious expression, Jun took the former's hand and placed it onto her stomach. Huifang then decided to deepen the experience by bringing her head down so that her ear rested on Jun's baby bump. Almost immediately, she heard, as well as felt, a hard thump.

"Wow," she whispered in awe, eyes wide as she felt the unborn child kick up a storm. Looking up to Jade, she took her lovers hand and placed it near the same spot. Jade's breath hitched as she felt the small life form kick in the obviously confined space. The moment to Jade felt so beautiful, that she couldn't help but let a few tears fall as she smiled sweetly at the feeling.

Without thinking, she brought her head down and gently kissed the pregnant doe's stomach, which elicited tears from both Jun and Huifang at this display of tenderness from their usually impassive leader. Even Nan wiped a tear that had threatened to run down his cheek. After the small peck, Jade laid her head on Jun's stomach, gazing into Huifang's eyes as they listened to the thrum of the baby's kicks. Jade then made up her mind; she wanted this to be her and Huifang.

She WAS going to ask Huifang to marry her.

Her thoughts were soon broken as Jun let out a soft yawn, indicating that she was tired. Taking the hint, Jade and Huifang stood from their spot, helping Nan to bring Jun to her feet. Nan then proceeded to lift Jun so that he was carrying her bridal style, much to the fruitless protests from his wife that she was fully capable of walking on her own. After the expecting couple had left, both water deer continued their walk. Thinking of how she might propose to her lover, Jade was met with a brilliant idea. Pulling gently on Huifang's hand, Jade redirected them toward the entrance of the village. Upon arriving, Huifang felt a bit confused as to why they were there.

"Hey Jade," she inquired, "What's the big idea, I mean why did we come here?" Jade could understand her girlfriend's confusion; it was somewhat unusual to be taken to the least exciting place in the village. Smiling at her lovers innocence, Jade took both Huifang's hands in her own and whispered,

"Because I want this to be perfect." Still confused, Huifang looked around, until she noticed an all too familiar rock, bathed in the early evening sunset. Before she had time to think, Huifang was pulled to the rock by Jade, who then proceeded to sit both of them on it. Huifang finally grasped the reality of what was happening.

"Jade," she began, "why are we at our spot?" Jade just smiled, and soon leaned in to steal a quick kiss, which didn't appease her partner's curiosity, who let out a muffled laugh at the sudden act of affection. Finally deciding that Huifang had had enough teasing, Jade spoke.

"Because this is where it all started," she explained, "where WE started." Taking a deep breath, Jade continued.

"Huifang, when I first met you, I instantly took you as a bumbling and annoying doe who had no place among my clan." Huifang's ears lowered as she heard this blunt statement, casting her gaze down in a dejected manner.

"But..." Jade continued, as Huifang caught on to the inflection of that word, "...as time went on, I began to see you as loving, compassionate, and more beautiful than anything I had ever witnessed." Taking another deep breath, Jade decided to cut to the chase.

"What I am trying to say, is that I love you so much, that after seeing how happy Jun and Nan are, and seeing the great parents they will be, I wanted our lives to be like that." Reaching into a small pocket in her tunic, Jade pulled out a bracelet made of an arrangement of small, violet lilies native only to that region, weaved together. To most, it would just appear as a simple bracelet, but to a water deer, especially Huifang, it was recognized as a betrothal gift. Looking from the bracelet back to Jade, Huifang began to tear up as Jade asked the question she had been dying to ask for some time.

"Huifang, will you marry me?"

Before Jade could react, she was tackled to the ground as Huifang proceeded to pepper Jade's face with passionate kisses. "I take that as a yes," Jade laughingly asked.

"IT'S A MILLION YESES!" Huifang exclaimed, tears streaming down her cheeks. After everything had settled down, Jade fastened the bracelet to her new fiancés left wrist. Gazing into each other's eyes, both does leaned in for a long and passionate kiss. Not ten seconds into the kiss, Jade's eyes widened as Huifang made bold, and surprisingly new move. Well, new for Huifang at least.

Feeling her girlfriend gently rub her tongue against her lips and teeth, Jade soon found that a fire had been lit in her core as she felt her eyes flutter closed, finally granting her girlfriend access to her mouth, her own tongue meeting Huifang's in a dance of love and passion. The two does had made out before, but this was a whole new level in their relationship. For thirty seconds the two does moaned as they were locked in their passionate make-out session.

However, the kiss was soon interrupted by the all too familiar wheezing of an out of breath panda. Reluctantly pulling away from each other, a noticeable strand of saliva connecting their bottom lips, Jade and Huifang looked in the direction of the noise, the water deer noticed the holder of Black Tortoise's qi, Bao, accompanied by the significantly less winded Nu Hai, the holder of Blue Dragon's qi. "Oh, hey guys," Huifang greeted nonchalantly, as if her make-out session with Jade had never happened, "what's up?"

"J-juooh, B-bayee, Nooouuu," Bao slurred out, earning confused stares from the does as they observed the panda who looked like he was about ready to pass out. Which he did as he fell flat on his back. Getting impatient, Nu Hai just blurted out the obviously important message.

"It's Jun," she stressed in between breaths, quickly causing worried looks to cross the two doe's faces. But, as she spoke, Nu Hai allowed a smile to grace her lips. "It's time." Bao's paw quickly shot up as he pointed to his sister, conforming that she was correct, before letting his paw flop down onto his gut. Looking at each other, both does realized that the strong kick Jun felt earlier, must have actually been the first contraction as she went into labor.

Nu Hai had to quickly move out of the way in order to avoid being trampled by the overly excited couple. Running through the village, the two arrived at the healer's hut, which was surrounded by a crowd of excited and curious bystanders. Forcing their way through the crowd, they made it to the first step of the hut, where they were greeted by Li Shan, who barred them from entering as only the father was allowed access at the time.

As both does looked at each other nervously, they heard a loud scream coming from the hut, more than likely from Jun, followed by a sound that many recognized all too well; the wail of a newborn baby. Everyone froze in their tracks as all attention was now focused on the hut. After a few minutes, the door slowly, opened, revealing Nan. Seeing Jade and Huifang standing at the foot of the steps to the hut, he smiled brightly, tears in his eyes.

"There's someone we want you two to meet," he softly said, beckoning them into the hut. Upon entering the hut, they were met with the sight of the panda and water deer healers as they were gathered around the bed, occupied by the now very tired Jun, who held a small form, wrapped in white silk clothe, in her arms. Upon seeing her too clan sister's in the doorway, she smiled. Beckoning them closer, the does were met with an extraordinary sight; a beautiful baby girl.

Upon closer inspection, the fawn looked just like any other, with white spots along her back. Her eyes, however, where breathe taking. The cub actually had both of her parents eyes, with her right being her mother's beautiful violet, with her father's stunning teal making up her left.

Kneeling beside the bed, Huifang brought her hand forward to gently caress the baby's cheek, smiling with tears flowing from her eyes.

"She's beautiful," Huifang managed to choke out. The cub giggled as she flashed a tusk less smile at her "aunt". Jade's heart melted as she wrapped her arms around her lover's shoulder's, bringing her head to rest beside the other's, smiling sweetly at her new "niece" as her own tears fell. Jun smiled at the scene, but soon took on a look of surprise as she noticed the fairly new accessory around Huifang's wrist.

"Huifang," she inquired, catching the doe's attention, "is that what I think it is?" she asked, even though she knew the answer as she herself had one on her wrist. Smiling brightly, Huifang nodded, as Jade placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, tasting a bit of the salt from her fiancé's tears. Jun beamed ear to ear as she took in the sight of the engaged couple. "I'm so happy for you two," she whispered.

"As we are for you," said Jade, smiling at the new mother as her husband enveloped his wife and their daughter in a loving embrace.

"So, what are you gonna name her?" Huifang asked, curious as to the name of the little calf.

"We thought about it," Said Jun, "And we were going to name her Jiao" **(Beauty).**

"That is a perfect name," agreed Jade. Lovingly gazing at the calf, Jade reminisced about all the events that brought her here. Too think, she was a stone cold follower of one of the most feared beasts in China. Now, she was an "aunt", soon to be married to the love of her life, as she walked down the path that she realized was right in front of her the whole time. A path she would never stray from, as long as she had the people she loved so dearly.


	6. Lust

**MA Rating**

* * *

Jade and Huifang smiled as they walked back to their hut hand in hand, overjoyed at everything that had transpired. In a span of just a few hours they had welcomed their new "niece" into their "family," and just minutes before then had become engaged to each other. And for Huifang, the moment that Jade had slipped the betrothal bracelet of lilies on her wrist was the happiest moment of her life. Finally, she would be married to the love of her life.

However, one thing did dominate Huifang's thoughts, and that was the kiss she and Jade shared after the latter's proposal. Unlike other kisses, which really had be gentle pecks, that one was filled with so much raw emotion as their tongues found their way into each other's mouths, the bliss of the proposal filling their very beings with love, as well as a stronger emotion that Huifang had never felt so strongly before; Lust. And said lust was consuming Huifang at full force, resulting in the doe to feel a heat in her core which traveled to her nethers. A heat that needed to be cooled, and fast.

Upon arriving at their shared hut, or rather Jade's hut that Huifang had moved into a month prior, the pair walked inside, with Jade being prepared to relax from the day she had had. However, before Jade could even think about relaxing, she saw that Huifang was facing away from her. And, to Jade's surprise, she could hear her fiance...panting. With a gentle smile, Jade approached Huifang, thinking that perhaps the doe was still emotional from the day's events. In a sense, she was right, but to her surprise, when she tenderly placed her hand on Huifang's shoulder, she was met with a great surprise as the usually boisterous doe spun around and pinned her to the nearest wall.

"HUIFANG!" she yelped in surprise, clearly not expecting such a move from the usually placid doe, who stared at her with lust-filled eyes. "What are you do-MMPH!" Jade was suddenly cut off as Huifang lurched her head forward, surprising her partner by shooting her tongue into Jade's mouth as she was speaking. At first shocked and confused by Huifang's sudden display of affection, Jade soon found that she could help moaning into the hated kiss, her eyes fluttering shut as they rolled into the back of her head.

Before long, the two were enveloped in a heated battle as their tongues wrestled each other for dominance in their respective partner's mouth. As the moans of the two does filled the hut, Huifang's breath hitched as she felt Jade reach down and use both of her hands to grab her rear through her trousers. Huifang suddenly released a loud yelp into her lover's mouth as said lover gripped the base of her short tail, which had become very sensitive from her flaring hormones.

Smiling into Huifang's mouth, Jade, without breaking the kiss, picked up her fiance by hear rear, the moaning doe taking the hint and wrapping her leg's around her lover's waist as her arms circled around her neck for stability. But, just as Jade was about walk toward the bedroom, she tripped over a stray piece clothing that Huifang must have carelessly discarded earlier. The kiss was then broken as the two does let out a yelp of surprise before landing with an "OOF!" on the floor. Recovering from the sudden fumble, Jade found that she had landed on top Huifang.

"You alright, Love?" she inquired with concern, although with a playful smile on her face. But the response she got really got her blood pumping.

"Fuck me," Huifang whined, resulting in a wide-eyed look of shock from Jade.

"What?" Jade asked incredulously, thinking that perhaps she did not hear her usually innocent fiance correctly. She soon received another great shock as Huifang pulled her head forward by her remaining tusk, a fiery determination present in her eyes as she pressed her forehead to Jade's, whose eyes at this point had grow wide as dinner plates.

"You heard me," she growled, which for some reason, turned Jade on. But each statement that came out of Huifang's mouth next actually succeeded in making her opening drip with anticipation.

"Lick me, finger me, scissor me...I DON'T CARE!" Now this really surprised Jade, who did not know that such language was in Huifang's vocabulary. However, she was once again pulled from her shock as Huifang continued to speak through clenched teeth. "You are going to make me cum until I can't walk...GOT IT!"

Jade stared slack jawed at her fiance, surprised that this childish doe had such an extensive understanding of love making. But soon, the shock faded away as Jade's expression quickly changed to one of evil pleasure, which actually caused Huifang's expression to fall and her eyes to widen at what she had just done. She had just ensured that she was in for one hell of a ride.

"As you wish, My Love" Jade growled as she pulled herself from Huifang's now limp grasp. As soon as she stood herself on her knees, Jade reached forward until she was grasping the part in her lover's green, leaf-patterned hanfu. With a sudden jerk, she ripped open the garment, breaking the couplings at the front, exposing Huifang's bound chest, hidden underneath her usual chest wrappings, which became more exposed as Jade removed the article of clothing.

Reaching down, Jade moved to undo the sash that bound Huifang's hanfu at her waist, making short work of the garment, flinging it aside as she wasted no time in roughly yanking down Huifang's tan trousers, leaving her in nothing but her chest wrappings and cotton panties, which Jade observed had a very noticeable wet patch on them, which made her lick her lips in anticipation.

Taking a few moments to admire her work, Jade decided to even the playing field as she began to remove her jade green tunic, along with her black trousers, leaving herself in nothing but her chest wrappings and cotton panties, which as Huifang observed, had a wet spot of their own. Reaching for a knife on a nearby table, Jade, with a hungry look in her eyes, slowly cut away her chest wrappings before doing so in kind to Huifang.

But as both does observed, their respective partners bodies differed greatly from their own. Huifang observed that Jade's body was more muscular, her tone legs and arms giving off a feeling of great power as noticeable abs made up her core. Her average sized breasts also conveyed this, as they appeared round and firm as they were no longer being confined to the constricting chest wrappings anymore.

Meanwhile, Jade noticed that Huifang's body was a bit more curvy than her own. And while she did have some muscle, her overall physique made it clear that she cared very little about fitness, but did like to keep in shape, as evident by her flat stomach. But as Jade observed, the typical doe would be quite jealous of Huifang's impressive bust. While they were round like her own, Jade saw that they were quite perky, her erect nipples clearly showing how turned on she was. As for the size, well one would consider them on par with two pomelo grapefruits.

"Damn Huifang," Jade growled as she suddenly reached forward, kneading the two inviting pair of breasts, which proved to be quite a handful, "if I had known this is what you were hiding, I would have hit you up sooner." Upon hearing this, Huifang, who had been biting on her finger to keep her moans under control, blushed so hard that it actually showed through her fur. This only egged Jade on further, who, with a devious smile, quickly removed Huifang's cotton panties, lifting the doe's hip above her head in the process, allowing Jade to see her glistening folds, which were connected to her panties by a string of sweet nectar.

"Now," she continued as she stood to her feet, leaving her fiancé on her back, "let's see how good that naughty tongue of yours is." As she said this, Jade allowed her panties to drop to the floor before stepping out them, giving Huifang a view of Jade's moist opening. However, Huifang would soon get a closer view as Jade moved so that she was standing directly over her over's head. Upon seeing this, Huifang licked her lips in anticipation of what was to come.

"Jade," she whined, "plea-MPPPHH!" Huifang was suddenly silenced as Jade sat down on her chest, muffling the former's voice with her dripping sex, the feeling of her breasts on Jade's firm rear causing the latter to moan. Soon, her moaning grew louder as she felt the tongue of her lover gently lick her opening from the bottom to the top, each time ending with a little flick of her clitoris, which caused Jade to moan loudly at Huifang's actions.

"Oh yes," Jade moaned as she smiled devilishly down at her partner, her hand sneaking it's way down Huifang's flat stomach to her opening, the latter being completely unaware as she is still lapping up Jade's juices as they trickle out of her forbidden fruit, the sweet taste making her hungry for more. However, Huifang quickly freezes in her actions, her body seizing up as she feels Jade suddenly pinch her sensitive clitoris. Smiling at Huifang's reaction, Jade slowly begins to rub her fingers together, twisting the sensitive nub and causing Huifang garb onto her partner's thighs scream into her ever moistening slit.

"You like that don't you," Jade teased, "you little SLUT!" Upon being called a slut by her lover, Huifang's eyes snapped wide open before they took on a determined expression, which did not go unnoticed by Jade. Strengthening her grip on Jade's thighs, Huifang looked up to her love, whose gaze took on a look of concern of what the doe between her legs had planned. And needless to say, she was certainly caught by surprise when Huifang quickly thrust her tongue into her dripping folds, causing Jade's eyes to go wide as she moaned loudly from the action, her reaction causing Huifang to smile as she licked her lover's inner walls.

"Whose the slut now?" Huifang said after briefly pulling away from Jade, only to dive right back in as she went all out on her girlfriend, who at this point had recovered just enough to realize what her partner was up to. Not wanting to be outmatched in the ways of pleasure, Jade decided to up the ante of her actions by quickly plunging a finger into Huifang's opening, causing the doe eating her out to squeal into her opening, but remain undeterred in scooping every bit of juice from constituting caverns, her own dripping around Jade's digit, down her legs and onto the floor.

Realizing her actions had little affect on Huifang, Jade deciding to up the ante again as she dove her second digit into Huifang, this time curling them up and pulling them forward, effectively hooking them in Huifang's cavern. This action succeeded in eliciting a loud, but muffled scream of pleasure from Huifang, who quickly reached down to grab Jade's wrist, her own still adorned with her betrothal bracelet, trying in vain to stop the doe from vigorously hooking and pulling on her opening, her palm rubbing the sensitive clit in the process.

Upon seeing this reaction from Huifang, Jade smiled wickedly as she leaned forward, her digits to pulling on Huifang's inner walls. Grabbing the euphoric doe by her ears, Jade pulled her partner's face away from her groin, eliciting a small whine from the doe who had been deprived of her feast. Smiling still at her fiance's reaction, Jade pulled even harder on her ears to ensure that she had her undivided attention.

"So," she said in low voice, sultry voice, "whose the slut NOW?" Huifang, who up until that point had been desperately sticking her tongue out to get another taste of Jade's sweet juices, froze in her actions as she soon found her self staring up at the dominant doe. Seeing that said doe had removed her digits from her partner's now dripping slit, Huifang whined as she saw Jade bring them to her mouth, her tongue sensually licking the sweet nectar off of them as if taunting her about how she was being deprived on delectable juice now dripping on her upper chest.

"Me," she whispered without thinking, causing Jade's earns to perk up, her smile never once fading.

"What was that?" she teased, pulling her digits away from her mouth, "I couldn't quite hear you." Letting out a lite whimper, her hormones flaring like mad, Huifang looked up to Jade with pleading eyes.

"I am the slut now," Huifang admitted casting her gaze to the side, almost as if she were ashamed to look Jade in the eyes. Noticing this, Jade's dominant demeanor vanished, her facial expressions softening as her sly smile turned to one of love. Releasing her grip on her love's ears, Jade moved herself so that she was no longer straddling Huifang's chest, but now laying on her side right beside her. Reaching over to turn Huifang's face toward her, Jade captured her partner's lips in hers in a gentle kiss, causing the still very horny doe beside her to moan in pleasure. But, in doing so, Jade was able to taste her own juices on Huifang's lips.

"I see why you were so desperate, My Dear," she teased as she pulled away from the kiss, "I'm fucking delicious." Huifang blushed madly at her fiance's vulgar language, but couldn't dwell on it for too long as she found that Jade had re-positioned herself that she was now laying on top of her, Huifang's bust pressing against her stomach as she did so, and vice-versa, the two does now face to face with each others listening slits. Realizing what was going on rather quickly, a now giddy Huifang wasted no time in resuming her oral assault on her lover's opening, plunging her tongue deep inside her forbidden cavern.

"Oh," Jade moaned out, "I don't think so." In an instant, Huifang was screaming into Jade's slit as said doe plunged her own tongue into Huifang's opening. And if Huifang noticed one thing, it was that the expertise with which Jade moved her tongue in her tight cavern conveyed that the one-tusked doe had had experience with this act.

"FUCK JADE!" Huifang screamed before resuming her feast. This outburst only egged Jade on more as she decided to heighten Huifang's pleasure even more by removing her tongue, only to replace it with both of her digits that began to vigorously resume their earlier practice of hooking and pulling on Huifang's walls, all while Jade sucked and nibbled on Huifang's sensitive clitoris. And Huifang, try as she might, could not keep up with Jade's obvious sexual experience. Despite her best efforts, she knew that she would never be able to keep up with her lover at this point. Before long, Huifang began to feel a great pressure build in her core, a clear sign that her release was imminent.

_No, _she thought to herself, _not like this._ Despite her sexually weakened state, Huifang managed to muster enough strength to push Jade off her, resulting in said doe rolling on her back.

"What the hell HuifAAAAAAAHHHH!" Jade's question soon turned into a loud shriek of pleasure as any confusion and irritation she had at that moment quickly vanished as Huifang quickly straddled one of Jade's legs, raising the other up and over her shoulder, effectively scissoring her partner as she crashed her slit into Jade's, wasting no time in vigorously rubbing the two openings together. As this happened, the two does became mesmerized by the others chest, their breasts bouncing in rythm which each thrust, which resulted in a wet, smacking sound as their juices leaked out of their slits.

Before long, the two does were enveloped with pure ecstasy, their moans and screams filling their hut, not caring if anyone outside could hear them. At one point, Jade grew bold a she lunged her head forward, latching her lips around one of Huifang's breasts, her tongue violently assaulting the erect nipple at the end as her hand savagely groped the other. This resulted in Huifang letting out another loud moan of pleasure as she sped up the tempo of her thrusts, the pressure in her core building once again until it was finally ready to reach it's peak.

"Jade," she whined, "I'm gonna cum." Upon hearing this, Jade, who had felt her own release coming as well, pulled herself away from Huifang's chest.

"Me to," she panted out as she cupped Huifang's face. Before long, the peak had been reached as both does let out a shout of extreme pleasure.

"JADE!"

"HUIFANG!" With that, the does released their built up storage of sweet nectar. Pulling each other into a deep kiss, the does tongues lashed about as they moaned and screamed into each others mouths as they released all over each other's crotches, effectively soaking them, as well as the floor and their lower stomachs in their sweet juices. For thirty seconds their orgasms lasted, until finally they died down, along with their moans and screams. Pulling away from the kiss, a strand of saliva connecting their lips, the two does, in their post-orgasmic bliss, stared lovingly at each other before closing their eyes and bringing their foreheads together.

"I Love Jade," Huifang whispered as tears of ecstasy and love fell from her eyes.

"I Love You Too, Huifang," Jade responded, a tear of her own falling, "so, so much." Pulling their heads apart, the two does found themselves in another deep kiss, their tongues once gain meeting, but this time in a sensual dance of love and of a raw battle for dominance, all the while gently rubbing their still connected openings together, their moans echoing through the hut. After another minute or so of riding out their euphoric bliss, Jade pulled away, only to notice how taht it was already dark outside.

"We should get to bed," she suggested, slowly separating their openings with a moan before standing up, "it's been a long day." Offering a hand to Huifang, Jade helped her fiance to her feet, only for her to stumble a little as they began to walk to their bedroom. Upon noticing this, Jade gave a sly smile as she saw Huifang shakily try to walk, grabbing onto her for support each time.

"Uh, Jade?" Huifang began, concern in her voice.

"You did say 'make you cum until you couldn't walk.'" Upon hearing this, Huifang blushed as she let out a shy giggle. Chuckling in return, Jade draped Huifang's arm over her shoulder as she helped her love walk to their bedroom, gently placing her on the soft surface as soon as they arrived before going to her side. Upon seeing her partner get into bed, Huifang moved closer until she felt Jade wrap her arms around her, giggling as the doe place a tender kiss on her forehead as she nuzzled her head under Jade's chin as said doe pulled the blankets over them.

Before long, the two does found themselves drifting to sleep. And as they did so, they smiled at the memory of the experience they had just shared together. An experience that had just brought them closer to becoming truly whole with each other.


	7. Trouble

The wedding was a week away, and everyone could hardly wait. It was the talk of the town; after weeks of planning, Jade Tusk was marrying Huifang. The ceremony was set to take place in the village square, in front of the pedestal that had once held the giant peach statue. The very statue that actually held the Wellspring, the source of all the qi in the universe that had be guarded for several generations by the pandas of the village. The couple felt that it was only fitting to have the ceremony there, as it was the reason the Poison Clan became a part of the village in the first place.

The happy couple stood at the foot of the makeshift altar, one arm wrapped around the shoulder of the other as their free hands were clasped together. Jade was in deep thought, thinking of how her life was leading to this perfect moment, all while Huifang could hardly hold her excitement. Jade pulled herself from her thoughts as she glanced at the beaming doe beside her.

"It's going to be so perfect," Huifang stated excitedly, "The clothes, the ceremony, the food, which I am really looking forward too because, come on, it is the best I've ever had…" Jade could only smile at her future wife's bubbly personality, really not caring what she was saying, the doe only cared about being close to her lover. Noticing the loving look on her partners face, Huifang ceased her rambling and returned the gaze.

"But what really has me excited, is knowing I will spend the rest of my life with the doe I love." Huifang then leaned in to kiss her fiancé, who just loved that the doe who was normally so ditzy, could also be so wise and romantic. Jade let out a soft moan, totally enraptured by her partner's passion. The sweet scene earned a few smiles and sly glances from passersby, but unfortunately, the moment came to an end when an obnoxious voice broke the silence.

"Save it for the honeymoon, tooth rot." Groaning as she broke the kiss, the annoyed Jade turned to see the holder of White Tiger's qi, Jing, the panda who had caused her and sisters so much grief a year prior, walk toward them with a smug grin. While the two had become very good friends, they managed to keep their habits of pushing the others buttons. Composing herself before she could do something she would regret, Jade realized that Jing interrupting this moment could only mean there was something important that needed to be discussed.

"What is it now, ankle biter," Jade joked, smirking at the flustered face that adorned the panda's face soon after.

"Master Po got a message from the snow leopard village up the road, turns out some of your 'sisters' are still very Pro-Bird Brain." Jing explained, clearly not happy about the matter. Jade's heart skipped a beat, for the last thing she wanted was to fight water deer she had been through so much with. But, she knew that protecting the innocent from the ideology of a power mad dragon demanded her attention. Turning to her fiancé, who still needed to be fitted for her wedding attire, she was met with eyes full of understanding and compassion, as well as a caring and sweet smile.

"Go, I get it," Huifang reassured her fiancé. Returning the smile, the emerald tusked doe gave her lover's lips a quick peck before she went to change out of her jade green tunic into her traditional combat gear; her red training vest with violet trim and gold embroidery, as well as a pair of tan training pants. As she met Master Po and his students at the entrance of the village, Jade was stopped by Huifang, who held out something in her hands. Looking down, Jade saw a polished, pure white sea-shell that was attached to a piece of red, silk ribbon.

"Your lucky sea shell?" Jade inquired. Huifang nodded, before motioning Jade to turn around, allowing her to place the ribbon around her neck. Jade tenderly caressed the pendant, and looked back to see the smiling face of her fiancé, tears brimming in her eyes.

"That way I know you'll come back," explained Huifang. Using her hands to cup Huifang's face, Jade quickly brought her lover into a passionate kiss as tears streamed down their cheeks. Fan Tong, being as sensitive as he was, sniffed at the tender scene before him, as did Nu Hai, while Po simply smiled. Bao just proceeded to make gagging noises at the "mushy" sight. Jing just rolled her eyes, even though she was secretly happy for the two, though she would never admit it. Breaking the kiss, Jade, with her eyes still closed, brought her forehead to rest on Huifang's, the latter's eyes clenched shut. Both stood for a moment, clutching each other's hands. Before separating, Jade finally spoke.

"I will always come back to you, my love." Giving her fiancé one last kiss, Jade set off with the Dragon Master and his students, leaving Huifang with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach; A feeling that she would never see Jade again. She decided to banish such thoughts from her head, as she had faith that her lover would keep her promise. Turning back toward the village, Huifang walked to the seamstress hut, unaware that both parties were being watched.

* * *

The smoke from the village was visible just as soon as the small rescue party had navigated the mountain pass, which was accompanied by the unmistakable smell of burning wood. As they approached the small settlement, the carnage became very apparent. Huts ablaze, debris strewn about the ground, and, even more disheartening, bodies of the native snow leopards, still warm, but unmoving, an indication that the carnage and subsequent slaughter was very recent.

Moving to the body of a young leopard, probably about the same age as the panda cubs, Jing attempted to use her healing qi to revive the cub. Sadly, the cub remained unmoving. Jade, who at first was very disturbed, noticed just ahead of her, there was a small doll that resembled a panda. Picking it up, Jade, ears dropping, fought back tears as she was overcome with a strong sense of mourning and, understandably so, rage. Whoever was responsible for this, Jade was going to make them pay. And she had a pretty good idea who.

"Alright Gang," Po bellowed, getting the group's attention, "I think the first thing we should do is try and find survivors." As soon as it was agreed upon, the five pandas and lone water deer began to search the area for any sign of life. The search went on for almost twenty minutes, each second bringing up no results. However, the group was met with the sound of falling debris in a house that had appeared to be virtually untouched. Slowly moving toward the dwelling, the group took notice of the body of a male leopard, clad in black pants and a green silk tunic, bound at the waist with a dark red sash. A thin line of blood ran from the right corner of his mouth, while his glossed over, amber eyes stared upwards toward the heavens. By his side was what appeared to be an axe, which the group guessed he probably used to try to fend off his attackers.

The rescue team's attention was soon brought back to the hut as they heard more rustling, this time accompanied by the unmistakable sound of an infant's cry. Cautiously moving into the dwelling, they were met with a startling sight; a female snow leopard, profusely bleeding from multiple abrasions on her body, clutching a small, bundled cub to her chest. Upon noticing the group, the mother began to panic when she saw the emerald toothed water deer with them. Calmly approaching the startled feline, Jade gently knelt to her level, offering a kind smile, which worked in assuring the mother that this doe was unlike the ones who attacked her home and killed her husband. The injured mother was then approached by Jing, who again attempted to use her qi to heal the dying leopard. As soon as the glow of her qi subsided, Jing turned to her friends with a grim expression, slowly shaking her head.

"The injuries are too severe," she explained, a tear falling from her eye, hitting the floor. Po placed a comforting paw on his student's shoulder.

"It's okay Jing," reassured Po. Upon returning her attention back to the snow leopard mother, Jade focused her attention on the cub in his mother's arms. Smiling gently, Jade carefully brought a hoof down to move the cloth that was covering the infants head. She was met with the face of a perfectly healthy baby boy, whose tear filled, green eyes reminded Jade of Huifang. The cub whimpered once, but soon calmed and relaxed itself when his gaze met Jade's amber eyes, curious of the cervine in front of him. Smiling a toothless smile, the cub giggled. Smiling gently, Jade caressed the cub's cheek.

"What is his name?" she asked the mother. As the mother began to speak, she began to couch and gag, bringing up a small amount of blood.

"Bai," the mother rasped out. Realizing the female leopard did not have much time, Jade decided to try and get as much information out of her as possible. As gently as she could, Jade began her inquiry.

"Can you tell us who did this?" she began. Taking a deep breath the snow leopard mustered as much strength as she could before she began to speak.

"Marauders," she gasped out, "water deer, who claimed to serve the 'One, True Dragon Master, Jindiao.'" Coughing slightly, the feline continued after catching her breath, "They demanded supplies for their quest to seek out and destroy their enemies; we refused, and you already have seen the outcome." Nodding slowly, Jade asked what she knew was the most important question.

"Did any of them mention their names, or could you catch any distinctive characteristics; voices, scars, anything?" As Jade theorized before, she had a fair idea of who would be capable of something like this, but she needed a witness to be sure of it. Her hopes rose as recollection crossed the spotted feline's features.

"The leader," she whispered, "she had a scar over her left eye." Upon hearing this, Jade began seething with anger and hatred; Shānghén lù** (Scar Deer)**, the vilest member of the Poison Clan that Jindiao greatly favored due to her ruthless nature. There had been rumors that if Jade was unable to satisfy her masters demands, then Shang would take her place. Luckily, after Jindiao's fall, Jade banished Shang, along with other members of the clan who shared her vile personality.

Jade was soon brought out of her thoughts as she felt something being placed in her arms. Looking down, she saw the curious eyes of the leopard cub staring up at her. Looking back at the mother, she was met with pleading eyes. "Please," the mother begged, "watch over him." After a moment of hesitation, Jade, with a compassionate smile, nodded toward the dying leopardess. Just as she cast her eyes down at the young boy, she, along with the rest of the group, where informed of something that made all their hearts stop.

"she said something about pandas."

And with that the mother's eyes closed as she drew her last breath. After absorbing the shocking information, Jade released a panicked whisper.

"Huifang." Without missing a beat, the group, along with their young companion, who had been slung on Jade with a backpack, began sprinting toward their home, hoping they weren't too late. That hope was dashed as soon as they saw the smoke rising over the mountains.


	8. Battle

Upon reaching the entrance to the village, the group was met with the startling sight of the burned or ransacked huts. Fortunately, there were no bodies, as all the inhabitants were corralled in the village square, surrounded by armed water deer clad in black, red trimmed training attire. One guard, with dark brown fur and blazing crimson eyes approached Jun as she held a crying Jiao in her arms.

"Well, Well, Well," the guard jeered, "little Fa Jun." Jun began to cower under the harsh gaze of the intimidating doe.

"What do you want, Hěnxīn **(Heartless)**?" Jun inquired, retreating into the arms of her husband, Nan, who held on tightly to his wife and daughter. The antagonistic water deer, seeing she was getting to the scared doe, menacingly stalked toward the young family as she glared down at the fawn, before looking at the child's father.

"Mmmm," the vile doe moaned, "maybe after we're done hear, me and the girls can use your hubby to 'expand our ranks.'" she proclaimed, causing the concealed Jade, to grind her teeth at such a remark. But what she heard next mandated that she be held back by the group before she could use her blade to split the doe's skull.

"I also think I should be merciful and take away your little brat so it doesn't grow up to be a freak like its mother." This remark brought evil snickers from the terrorist does as said mother began to cower with wide eyes full of fear, clutching her daughter closely to her chest, tears spilling from her eyes.

"YOU TOUCH HER AND I WILL END YOU!" came a cry from the post of a demolished building. What Jade saw made her heart drop to her stomach; Huifang, her beautiful, freshly fitted, wedding gown, a red, gold trimmed hanfu and black pants, cut and tattered, stained with dark patches of blood from the multiple cuts and scrapes she had on her body, was tied to the remains of a smoldering hut, eyes brimming with tears of rage.

"Speaking of FREAKS," Seethed the evil doe between clenched teeth as she began to menacingly stalk toward the incapacitated doe. Huifang began to panic, as did Jade. Just as Henxin brought up her sword for the killing blow, a calm, yet sinister tone stopped her.

"Now, now Xin. You can't blame her for wanting to protect her so called 'niece.'" Stepping from the shadows of the still standing mayoral hut was a black furred doe, clad in a long, flowing black robe that concealed her red tunic and black pants. However, the most distinguishing feature was the scar that ran from her forehead, over her left eye, down her cheek, and into her neck.

This was Shanghen Lu, who had her one good eye, a cold, ice blue, boring into the very soul of the tied up doe before her. "Oh, Huifang," she taunted, "It must hurt so much knowing you and your friends are going to die, while your 'Precious Jade Tusk' is nowhere to be seen," she completed her statement with a mock pouty face, lip out and quivering, earning mocking laughter from the evil doe's followers. "But in the end, I think she will thank me. In the end, it was never her poor fighting ability, or her feeble attempts to keep my Master happy, it was her compassion; never going all the way to achieve victory, unlike me. Her compassion made her WEAK!"

"NO!" Before Shang knew what had happened she was kicked back into Xin as they hit ground in a tangled heap. Looking up, she was met with the image of a seething Jade. "It made me stronger."

Picking herself back up, Xin began to stare daggers at the doe before her, who was now flanked by the Dragon Master Po and three of the four constellations, while Fan Tong worked to free Huifang from her bindings. The sky had been darkened by the presence of growing storms clouds. No one had noticed until a loud rumble of thunder vibrated across the sky. The sound of a rain drop hitting a leaf echoed across the area, followed by another, then another, until it was pouring on the opposing groups. Standing to her feet, Shang glared at the group before her. Raising her sword high in the air, she then pointed it at the small group of heroes.

"Kill them," she growled menacingly. All at once, the entire legion of evil water deer charged the group. When the first deer got within striking distance, Jade quickly side stepped, driving her elbow into the back of the does head, instantly knocking her out. She blocked the downward thrust of another doe, knocking the doe unconscious with a savage head-butt. After the previous act, Jade stumbled, slightly disoriented while mumbling something about how no one wins with a head-butt. After regaining her senses, Jade took the sword of the fallen doe, and raised it high above her head as a call to arms.

"POISON CLAN, TO ME!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, inspiring her sisters to join forces and overwhelm the enemy. Soon it was an all-out battle as the Poison Clan began to battle the demented followers of Shang. Running up to Huifang, who had just be released thanks to Fan Tong, Jade enveloped her in a tight embrace. Gazing into her lover's eyes, Jade pulled out the lucky sea-shell she had tucked in her vest, and returned it to her lover.

"I told you I would come back," she jokingly said. A babbled cry came from Jade's back as her spotted ward warned her of an incoming attack. After deflecting the surprise attack, Jade removed the young leopard from her back and handed him to Huifang, who although confused, instantly became enamored by the cub's cuteness, and took him from her fiancé's arms.

"Take Bai and the others and get them away from hear," ordered Jade.

"But what about you," inquired Huifang?

"I'm going to take care of tall, dark and ugly over there," answered Jade as she indicated Shang. Huifang, about to protest but thinking better of it, just nodded and turned toward the cowering villagers, but not before turning back and giving Jade a quick kiss.

"Kick her butt extra hard for me," she joked. As Jade smiled at her fiancé, they both heard a gung ho battle call. Looking behind them, they noticed two disoriented water deer under Po's big, panda butt. Returning their attention to the task at hand, Jade returned to help Po, the Four Constellations, and her sisters battle the evil clan, while Huifang lead the others to safety, all while carrying a newborn snow leopard in her arms. Upon reaching a safe alcove, Huifang handed Bai to Nan before grabbing a spear and running toward the direction of the carnage.

"Where are you going?!" shouted Nan. Huifang turned and just shrugged.

"Someone has to save Jade's butt," she replied nonchalantly, while bolstering a huge smile. Upon reaching the sight of the battle, Huifang was met with the sight of her sisters fiercely battling Shang's forces, with the former gaining serious ground. Just as she began to enter the heap, her legs were knocked out from under her. Landing with an "oomph" in the mud, ruining her gown even further, Huifang quickly glanced up to see the menacing silhouette of Xin, illuminated by a flash of lightning.

Picking herself back up, Huifang discarded her weapon, as she wanted to fight the doe who threatened her family with her bare hands. Smirking at the determined doe, Xin discarded her weapon as well. Soon, the two does where trading body blows. As the fight continued, Huifang noticed that Xin's moves were sloppy, not following any Kung Fu style she had seen. Huifang suddenly realized that her opponent was fighting with blind savagery, as evident by the demonic growls she gave off.

Taking this into account, Huifang realized she did not have to fight, but rather trick her opponent. Faking a dodge to the left, Huifang quickly moved toward a nearby cliff. Believing she had her prey cornered, Xin crouched down, preparing to pounce, which is just what Huifang anticipated. As soon as Xin pounced, Huifang quickly ducked. Before Xin could comprehend what was happening, she was screaming as she plummeted toward the cliff's bottom.

"Told ya," teased Huifang as she recalled her earlier threat to the fallen doe. Turning back to the battle she noticed that the other dark followers, having seen one of their leaders fall, slowly drop their weapons, now realizing that continuing the fight was a fruitless effort.

"Well that was easy," voiced Po.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" shouted Bao.

"You got that right, bubba," responded Jing as she gave her friend a fist bump. However, their celebration was short lived as a grunt was heard at the top of a nearby hill. Looking toward the sound, Huifang froze at what sight befell her; Jade, on her knees, with a dagger held to her throat by Shang. The Dark leader just "tsked" at the green-eyed doe as she shook her head with each sound.

"Huifang," she began, "why must you always make things so difficult. Ever since you arrived at the Plum Blossom Temple, I knew you were pathetic. So annoying, clumsy, and above all, STUPID." That last word was said with so much venom, it nearly brought Huifang to her knees, but she refused to give her tormentor the satisfaction. Seeing the defiant doe's resolve strengthening, Shang continued.

"And when I heard about this little wedding, I thought 'who would be just as stupid to marry such a weak, pathetic ditz like you?' And when I heard it was Jade..." Shang paused to let out a cruel, mocking laugh, "I thought of the sweet, delicious irony." While Shang continued to mock the pair, Huifang noticed Jade pull out a small blade, hidden in the wrappings around her wrist, leading to a smile forming on the former's face, which did not go unnoticed by Shang.

"What are you smiling at?" She questioned venomously. Looking at the evil doe, Huifang just shrugged as she answered.

"Just thinking about how sore your leg is gonna be tomorrow," she quipped. Shang, realizing too late what Huifang was getting at, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her shin as Jade drove the hidden blade deep into her leg, which distracted the pain ridden doe enough to allow Jade to wrestle away the blade at her throat, and placing it against that of her captor's.

"And that is why I was, am, and always will be better," taunted Jade, with a smug smirk on her muzzle. Shang groaned in disgust, as two Poison Clan members, came up and bound the does wrists with rope, ready for her, as well as her follower's, journey to Chorh-Gom Prison. After getting a head count, Jade was relieved to hear that their where no causalities, save for Xin; After Jindiao's defeat, Jade never had a fondness for death or killing, as evident by her reactions in the snow leopard village.

The skies had already started to clear as Jade and the Poison Clan delivered the marauders and their leader to the nearest authorities. After all was said and done, they returned to the village to find that cleanup had already begun. The does laughed at the combined feeling of Deja-vu as they dispersed to help the others.

Jade began walking through the partially destroyed village. As she did so, she was met with many heartwarming sights; the Four Constellations joking around with Po as his two father's watched on in amusement, Jun and Nan happily playing with their daughter, panda children running around, the battle a distant memory, sisters sitting together and laughing with other pandas, drinking fresh water as the healers tended to their injuries, and finally, Huifang, HER Huifang sitting on the steps of their shared hut, carefully feeding and tending to the young snow leopard in her arms. Sitting beside her fiancé, both focused their attention on the cub in Huifang's arms.

"Bai," Huifang said, testing out the name. Jade tensed at the thought that maybe Huifang didn't want to look after a child before she was married, but the doubt went away as she continued, "I like it." Both does looked at each other, leaning in for a quick kiss. After a few seconds, the does separated and turned their attention back to their new "son".

"I think a wedding may be just the kind of pick me up the village needs," suggested Jade offhandedly as she panned her gaze over the village. Huifang looked at her lover and gave a small smile as she nodded. The village, which had just been through hell for the first time in a year, was now strengthened by the inhabitants who experienced it together.


	9. Legacy

**Jade P.O.V.**

* * *

The wedding went on as planned. Huifang was a bit self-conscious given the fact her gown was practically destroyed in the attack. To make her feel better, I had the tailor alter my gown to closely resemble hers. As we shared our first kiss as a married couple, I could tell that we both felt such elation at the feeling. The honeymoon was just as romantic as we had anticipated. Luckily Jun and Nan were willing to watch Bai. But, it didn't matter, as Huifang and I finally had the family we wanted, even if a little earlier than we anticipated.

Xin was discovered to have survived her fall. Once handed over to authorities, she was transported to Chor-Ghom Prison. While there, the wounds she had received grew infected, she fell into a coma, and died.

Shang was sentenced to death for her crimes after her so called "loyal followers" offered testimony against her in exchange for a lesser sentence. Unfortunately, the day before her execution, by unknown means, she had managed to gain access to a fast acting poison. She took her own life later that night. But it was a relief, no matter how she met her end, for it meant the reign of Jindiao was finally over. Now, we could live our lives as we saw fit.

The Poison Clan managed to rebuild, now welcoming other animals into our ranks, not just water deer. The Pika monks from the Plum Blossom Temple relocated to the village, building a new temple in a lot of land graciously offered by Li Shan.

Master Po returned to the Valley of Peace, where he started a relationship with his fellow master, Master Tigress. They married the following spring, and the year after welcomed two cubs into the world; a boy who greatly resembled his father, and a little girl who could have very easily been mistaken as a smaller version of their mother. Born to fight like their mother, and, well, we all know what their father is like.

Jun and Nan continued to be the proud parents of Jiao. As soon as the little fawn was old enough, she began to express interest in Kung Fu, which earned her lessons from her "Aunt Jade." She was a natural. The year after she became a big sister to a little girl.

The Four Constellations continue to serve those in need, traveling across China, and even the uncharted regions of the world. They have even been given positions in Empress Xiao's personal guard, even at times working closely alongside the army regiment lead by Huifang's uncle, General Hanfang, who I had come to find out upon first meeting him was the kindest buck anyone could meet. From what I have heard, Xiao and Fan Tong, having become quite smitten with each other since their first meeting, have married, with a new heir to the throne on the way.

As for Huifang and myself, we are now not just the proud parents of a snow leopard, but also a small doe we had adopted from the Bao Gu Orphanage when visiting Master Po and his family in the Valley of Peace. Our family is an odd one...and I would have it no other way.

* * *

**(Ten Years after Shang's Attack)**

* * *

Standing on a cliff, amber eyes overlooking the beautiful valley before her, stood a water deer, clad in a red, long sleeved tunic with golden trim and black trousers. Her clothing, as well as her shoulder length mane, tied in a ponytail, with a few stray locks dangling in her face, billowed in the wind.

The rays of sunshine that cascaded from the sky glimmered off of a small stub of jade peaking from under lip where a prosthetic tusk was was, as well as a golden mayoral pendent, which had been bestowed upon the doe after the original holder decided to retire, so as to spend more time with his son and grandchildren.

Feeling a small paw take hold of her hand, the doe looked down into a pair of emerald eyes, and smiled at the young snow leopard dressed in grey trousers and a green vest, which actually reminded her of a certain, self-centered panda.

Looking behind her, she took in the sight of her wife, one emerald eye visible as the other was concealed by a long lock of fur, which she thought would make her look as cute as a certain friend of hers, if not cuter. In her arms was the form of a toddler water doe, innocently sucking her thumb as she had her other arm wrapped around her mother's neck.

Smiling at her wife, who returned the smile, Jade took one last look at the sunset before guiding Bai back to Huifang and Mei, the blended family walking back to the Village Sanctuary together. Yes, this was Jade's life, and it would be, forever.

* * *

**~*THE END*~**

**~Take Care~**

***Stay Safe***

**~Stay Healthy~**

***And As Always***

**~*HAPPY READING!*~**


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